The Digital World
by GemmaniGirl
Summary: The Digital World, the most popular virtual reality game to hit the world. But from the moment he logged in Kouichi has found himself thrown into the mysteries of the game and a battle that could decide the fate of two worlds. Was it really just a game?
1. LOGIN 001

The Digital World

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

**LOGIN_001**

Data scattered across the air, two men were the only ones that remained in the deleting area. Their bodies worn from battle, their armor shattered; becoming data and joining the other particles in the air. Sweat ran down their faces, cutting through the dirt and blood that coated them. Slowly one swayed before falling to the ground his chest heaving. Sky blue eyes shut tight before he opened them raising his shaky hands to remove the mask that concealed his face. Wavy hair fell into those same exhausted eyes. The mask shattered in his grasp the data sparkling in front of his eyes. Weakly he gazed up at the man who was still standing, though it seemed just barely; white feathers billowing in the wind, tearing from his battle worn wings. The man on the ground released a small laugh, blood escaping his mouth in the process.

"That… was one hell of a fight." He remarked raising a black gloved hand to wipe the blood away. "Wouldn't you agree, eh, Licht?"

The standing man, identified as this Licht, released a laugh as he removed the cracked helmet that rested on his head. Like the other mans mask it too shattered into data, Licht raising it to the sky scattering it into the air as if it was some sort of offering. Lips quirked up in a small smirk as he slowly sat besides his partner, looking at the deleting area as he spoke. "One hell of a fight, Fervor, one hell of a fight…"

They drifted into silence. Fervor's eyes slipped shut again as the soft wind blew against them. A soft sigh escaped him as slowly he allowed his eyes to open peering up at Licht. "We really did it… We really managed to do it…"

Licht released a simple 'mmhmm' in response as he looked at the lightening sky. Fervor gazed at him before licking dry lips turning his gaze too to the sky as he softly continued. "We really did win. That virus… We really managed to defeat him."

"_The Digital World_'s safe now."

"Think… All those kids…"

"Yes, I'm sure their okay…" Licht replied softly allowing his eyes to drift shut, another small laugh escaping him. "My hands are shaking so much. I can barely hold the controller…"

"Same. My hands are so slippery from the sweat. I can't believe we actually managed to pull off a win." They laughed together. Their laughter seeming to brighten to battle worn land they rested in. A fox-like grin formed across Fervor's face as he peered at his comrade before down at himself. "Looks like it's the end for us though."

"It looks that way," Licht agreed smiling almost bitter-sweetly opening his eyes to gaze at his comrade before himself as well. His body slowly becoming fragments of data, just like Fervor. Starting at their feet and spreading upwards. "Looks like we're being deleted along with everything else. The worlds recreating itself; the Sovereigns doing no doubt…"

Fervor nodded resting a gloved hand on his forehead, green eyes shutting again. "Mmhmm… But in the end it was worth it. After all… If we _hadn't_ beaten that creep…"

"Those kids would've stayed in those comas. _The Digital World _would have been destroyed or something. And a lot more horrible things would've happened." Licht completed gazing down at his hands sadly. "I guess… This is it for these guys. For Fervor of the Rising Sun and Licht of the Rising Moon."

"Heroes of _The Digital World_. Got a nice ring to it," Fervor commented grinning as he opened his eyes, peeking up at his friend. "Oi, Licht… Let's make a promise…"

"A promise?"

"Yeah… That once they fix this game up, after the Sovereigns let them that is... When the company releases it again… You and me, we'll meet up again. We'll find each other, what d'you think buddy? Sound like a promise?"

Licht was silent for a moment. As if considering the words. A grin however worked its way across his face as he raised his arm. His fingers curling into a fist, Fervor mimicking it. Their bodies were nearly gone. Fading away into the world around them…

"Yeah… It's a promise." They bumped fists, both grinning at each other as the last of their bodies disintegrated. Leaving nothing behind but specks of data in a broken battlefield…

-

_The Digital World_, a virtual-reality MMORPG that swept across the world. Two years ago it had been the cause of controversy. Children had been collapsing while playing it, some slipping into comas. Many stated (upon regaining consciousness) the last thing they remember was being attacked by a vicious angel…

The company that created the game, Gennai Inc., had claimed no responsibilities to any of the incidents. Many doubted they were even looking into the matter. Two years ago, after some incident within the game, production simply ceased. The game for those who had already owned it was shut down. Gennai Inc. claimed it was for revisions…

A year and a half later they re-released _The Digital World_, requiring everyone to begin again. 'A clean state' one of the reps called it. Since then its popularity had seemed to increase. The incidents of from nearly two years ago seemed to have added to people's curiosity to own the game…

Everyone seemed to play the game now. Everyone seemed to talk about it…

Except him.

He didn't understand games. He had never actually liked video games even as a child. He just could not see the point in them. Why play a game indoors when you could do something productive outside? In the real world? He just could not fathom the appeal of _The Digital World_…

Which was why he was terribly perplexed when he saw a box labeled '_The Digital World'_ sitting in front of him. He stared at it before looking up at the blonde girl with the Cheshire-cat grin that stood to the side of him before back at the box. Slowly he picked it up, examining it with scrutiny before looking at his blonde friend again. "Why?"

"Because it's a really fun game!"

"I hate video games." He stated simply setting the box down before leaning back in his seat. "It's all fake anyways. What's the attraction?"

His blonde friend paused for a moment, her grin fading to an annoyed frown. He couldn't help but smirk seeing he may have stumped her. She crossed her arms over her chest her eyebrows knitted together. Suddenly her eyes lit up as she uncrossed her arms clapping her hands together. He jumped a good inch up in surprise.

"Think of it this way," the Cheshire-like grin had returned as she sat on the edge of his desk right besides the games box. "This way we have a way to talk to each other while I'm in Italy. And it won't have any long distance charges."

"I can't afford to pay the fees required for the game…" He countered but the grin did not falter.

"It's a birthday gift! I'm paying for it!"

"My birthday's not for a couple of months…" He attempted suddenly feeling like the world was closing in on him…

"It's an early birthday gift." She had thought of every loop hole…

"But Izumi… I hate games." Maybe the truth could work!

"Please? Try it for me?" Her lower lip stuck out, her eyes widening looking almost tearful. The puppy-dog look… He could never resist that. Groaning he threw his arms up into the air.

"Okay! I give! I'll try it!" She released a happy shout flinging her arms around his neck in a strange sort of hug. His face turned bright red as he yelped. The momentum of her hug tipping his chair over sending the two crashing to the ground, but the girl continued to hug him grinning and laughing. Scowling he poked her forehead, causing her to look up at him though her chin remained resting against his chest. He did his best to fight back the light blush on his face. "I'll try it. But if I don't like it, I'm going to return it. Got it?"

"Oh Kouichi, you'll love it," Izumi giggled hugging him again. "This is great! We can go on all sorts of adventures together!"

"Fake adventures," Kouichi reminded her though a small smile began to pull at the corners of his scowl. He sat up forcing her to get up as well. Sighing again he ran a hand threw his messy black hair his eyes gazing at the box that now sat above them. "Is it hard to play?"

Izumi made a thoughtful noise as she held her chin. Her legs tucked beneath her as she sat besides him. "Well… It's a bit tricky but once you get the hang of things its real easy!"

Sighing again Kouichi rubbed the back of his neck before rising to his feet. He had always been bad with technology. He could barely get his computer to work half the time. If this game was 'tricky' for other people it was going to be nearly impossible for him. But still… It meant a lot for her that he would at least attempt it. Plus not having to pay for it or for long distance bills to talk to her was a bonus. Blue eyes glanced down at her before he offered her his hand. She took it smiling happily still as he helped her stand up. "Okay, help me set it up."

It took nearly an hour to set up the game properly. Most of that was because of his mess ups. In the end Izumi had told him to sit in the corner and not touch anything while she finished. When she finally finished she called him over and informed him to sit down. The screen for _The Digital World_ was on his computer screen. He took note of the two controllers that were hooked up, as well as two visor-like helmets. He tilted his head to one side before looking at her a bit perplexed. She giggled again tucking locks of her long blonde hair behind her ear. "What? I'm not letting you start off alone. These are the last things left for me to pack."

"So you're going to play the game with me..?"

"Yes dummy, honestly I thought you were on the Honor Roll." She giggled again as he scowled punching her lightly in the arm for the comment. The grin didn't fade as she looked at him. Her smile was contagious; he couldn't help but smile now as well. "I'll help you get set up and everything. Now put your visor on and pick up the controller."

He looked at her before sighing as he complied picking the headpiece up and slipping it on. A sudden whirling noise entered his ears. His eyes widened as the tinted room vanished a new image replacing his line of vision. Panicking he raised his hands to remove the helmet but felt two hands take hold of his wrists.

"_Relax_," Izumi's voice cut through the whirling. "_It's just a game. Seriously chill…_"

That was right. The game. Shaking his head he looked around. He was in a dark area, the only light seeming to come of his own body. Nervously he shifted trying to figure out what to do. As if on cue a women's voice echoed around him.

"**What is your name?**"

"My name… er its Kou-"

"_She means what do you want your user name to be_." Izumi jumped in quickly. Kouichi released a small 'ooo' before tilting his head to the side; the blondes' voice echoing in the dark area again. "_What's wrong_?"

"I donno what my user name should be… Izumi what should it be?"

"_Its your choice Kouichi. Just don't pick one that's going to annoy you. Like… 'IAMTHEFLAMINGWAFFLEMONSTER'._"

"… I donno that sounds kind of cool…"

"_Kouichi!_" A sharp pain emitted from his shoulder. Cringing he rubbed it, she had hit him… Hit him outside of the game…

He was already getting sucked into it…

Shaking his head again he thought for a moment before reaching out typing as if at a keyboard. The keys appeared below his fingers as he pressed them. He entered the name silently the women's booming voice echoing.

"**So you're name is Lowe?**"

He nodded as if the women could see him. Lowe… That was how he was to be known in this world. In this game. Smiling contently to himself he stretched the women's voice sounding again.

"**What is your class?**"

"My… class…? Izumi?"

A sigh echoed in the air before he heard his blonde friends' voice. "_Classes are essentially like what your job will be in the game… Like… Your skills… Here hold on!_"

Screens appeared around him. He jumped slightly though he knew they were images Izumi had pulled up on the computer. Still it was something frightening to him. Everything was so different in _The Digital World_…

Idly he browsed through the screens tapping ones that sounded interesting and pushing away those that sounded boring. All had there pros as well as there cons. Frowning he tilted his head to the side again as he tapped at the screens. One caught his eye as he read through it:

_Lancer- A warrior who fights with spears, staffs and other weapons of that nature. They have an average stats and speed. Lancers are skilled at magic at an above average level. _

"Oi… Izumi, what's your class?"

"_Me? I'm a sorcerer!_"

He looked up before searching through the screens before finding what he was looking for.

_Sorcerer – A higher-rank of the mage class. They are weak when it comes to attacks and defense. However, they do have the highest power when it comes to magic. _

"So… Were you a mage in the beginning?"

"_Yup. It really takes a lot to meet all the requirements in order to upgrade your class. So there aren't a lot of sorcerers in the game… But its okay, cause I'm mostly mistaken for a mage anyways!_"

"Can all classes be leveled up…?"

"_Some. It's a new addition to the game. So really only mage has been expanded along with a couple others; but I'm sure all the rest of the classes will be extended in the end._"

Kouichi nodded silently before looking back at the Lancer class. Silently he reached out selecting it. The women's voice once again sounding.

"**So you are a Lancer.**" Kouichi nodded simply wondering how many more questions she was going to ask. But instead the darkness began to fade away. His eyes widened as he looked around in confusion. The women's voice sounding one last time. "**Welcome Lancer Lowe to **_**The Digital World**_**.**"

His eyes widened as the darkness faded away. He stood in a town with other people roaming around. His eyes darted from one place to another in shock at the realism to it. It was like… He was actually in a different world.

… So that was the appeal of the game…

"'Scuse me!" He turned his head before yelping nearly getting barreled over as another player ran by him, turning his head back shouting over his shoulder at Kouichi. "Sorry buddy!"

Kouichi blinked though he couldn't help but appreciate the sense of politeness. Though he was confused as to the hurry…

"Probably off to some dungeon. Some players get real excited about it or they wanna get to the Digi'Port before they forget the keywords." A familiar voice sounded behind him with a giggle. Kouichi spun around happy to hear such a familiar voice; but his jaw nearly dropped causing the girl in front of him to tilt her head. "What..?"

"Wh-What are you… You're nearly naked!"

"I'm clothed…" She blinked again looking down at herself. Kouichi wanted so badly but to disagree with her. Her hair was a lavender color up in a ponytail, two thick strands hanging in her face. A visor shielded her eyes from view four teal colored triangle markings on the corners of her face, two on her cheeks and two on the far edges of her forehead. Her outfit to him was far too revealing for his liking and he could feel his face heat up as he averted his eyes. The outfit was a lavender color as well, though more in the direction of pink to him. To him it was nothing more then a bra and short, short pants that clung to her. A belt of the matching color wrapped around her stomach and two more belts ran down from the 'bra' connecting it to the shorts and the shorts to her knee high matching boots. Her hands were gloved two crystals embedded into the back of the gloves, fairy wings sprouting out of the characters back. Her head remained tilted to the side her hands on her hips as she looked at him irritable. "What's wrong!? I like this costume Kouichi!"

"I-I'm afraid if I look you'll slap me…"

"I'll slap you if you keep acting like an idiot," the fairy stated with, he was sure, a glare.

"I-I thought you were a sorcerer. Shouldn't sorcerers wear… Y'know… More clothes…?"

"I am a sorcerer. I picked this outfit out myself," she stated smirking slightly. "After all Kaze here is like my alter ego. I can get away with this outfit here, but in real life my dad would _so_ kill me."

"Kaze…?"

"Its my user name." Izumi replied laughing again as she stretched. "Just like your username is Lowe, Kouichi. Get it?"

"… Kind of… So should I call you Kaze now?"

"You can if you want. I don't mind either way." She smiled still before tilting her head to the side giggling again. He blinked slightly before slowly realizing what must be funny…

"… Do I look stupid..?" She shook her head taking his hand. They walked a little ways, Izumi leading him until they stopped at a river. She pointed to the reflection Kouichi's eyes widening in response. He stared at the reflection in the water before raising a hand to his face. He wore a black mask that covered his mouth and nose. His eyes were a crimson color. Side-swept blonde hair fell into them, flaring out. The mask led into a sleeveless, tight black shirt that seemed to decide to stop just above his stomach… He wore black pants with belts wrapped around just above his knee and scuffed shoes. More and more heat rose to his face as he turned to look at Izumi who was, once again, giggling.

"Izumi I look ridiculous!" She continued to giggle covering her mouth with her hand as she shook her head.

"Calm down, calm down. It's just the default outfit for new Lancers. It's the items they start out with. You just need some items to touch it up! I'd offer you items, but I just have girls' items. I'll message one of my friends though to see if he has any items he can do without okay? Or we can see what the shops have." He grumbled slightly crossing his arms over his chest with an indignant 'hmph'. Izumi smiled a little taking his hand again pulling him down the street as they walked. He still felt red in the face looking around… Though no one else seemed to be looking at him. As they continued he felt more at ease looking at the other players and the area he was in.

There were several buildings. Some with users crowded inside them. Others were empty. Shop were set up, the strange creatures that ran them calling out sales. He blinked at that as they passed them before he looked around at the creatures that roamed the streets. He tugged at Izumi's hand drawing her attention to them. She seemed to understand the voiceless question, brushing one of the strands back with her free hand. "They're the NPC's in this game. They're called Digimon. Short for Digital Monsters. They run the shops and junk, and if you want you can raise them. But you also fight the bad ones…"

Kouichi nodded quietly as they continued to walk his eyes wide in awe. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Izumi looking at him a happy smile on her face as she nudged him in the side with her elbow. "So you like?"

"It's okay… For a game…" He mumbled though knew she knew that he was indeed amazed. He had to admit. There was this distinct attraction to _The Digital World_. He couldn't understand it still… But he was starting to _see_ it himself. Smiling to himself he kept his hold on Izumi's hand no longer embarrassed by his newbish clothing. He felt her give his hand a gentle squeeze as they wandered down the busy town, Kouichi looking around still.

"This is File Island. It's not really an island, but it's what the server's name is. It's one of the towns users come to stock up on supplies for battles and just hang out." She pointed now to another area with users disappearing and reappearing in flashes of data. A large glowing sphere floated above the special area, golden rings circling around it. "That's a Digi'Port. It's how you get to all the battlefields, dungeons, and junk. You need keywords to get to them, of course. But that's mostly how you get around."

Kouichi nodded taking in the information. Smiling still Izumi stopped beneath the glow-ball. A side ways '3' like smile suddenly appearing. It caused Kouichi to suddenly feel very uneasy… "Why not try a field? I promise we'll go someplace really easy! What d'you say?"

"I guess…" She released his hand jumping up and shouting out of happiness. Kouichi rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "But Izumi, I don't even have a weapon."

"Sure you do, you just have to equip it silly."

"Oh… How do I do that..?"

"Press the start button. Go to 'My Inventory'. Go to the weapon section. You'll have a starter weapon. Press that and then equip." He did as he was told and a screen appeared in front of him. His eyes widened as a staff materialized in front of him. He took it hesitantly tilting his head to the side. It was just a simple bo-staff. But he thought… "You'll have to buy upgraded weapons. We'll buy you a spear if you want later."

He nodded again looking at her tilting his head slightly. "Where're we going then?"

"To an easy field for newbs of course my dear little newbie." He scowled under his mask crossing his arms over his chest again, holding the staff loosely in one hand. She giggled for what felt like the billionth time that day before stopping. A screen appearing in front of her as she looked through the content it held. Nodding to herself it disappeared that same sideways '3' smile appearing. "Alright. This is what you got to do. Raise your staff up in the air while standing under the Digi'Port. Then I want you to say this. 'Digi'Port Open! Field of Light!'"

"… Are you serious..?"

"Yes. Now do it newbie." He stared at her for a moment before sighing softly. After all Izumi did know more about this game then he did. He raised the bo-staff into the air repeating what she had told him. Despite how stupid it made him feel. "Digi'Port Open! Field of Light!"

The area they stood in suddenly twisted. Becoming distorted as it faded away. A blinding light surrounded him, forcing him to shield his eyes with his arms. He felt his body momentarily becoming nothing but pixels before reforming. Slowly he lowered his arms as his eyes widened. They were in a completely new territory. With wide red eyes he looked around. They were in, just like the name stated, a field full of wildfires. It was brightly lit, another thing the name had also stated. The sky was a crystal blue, only the occasional cloud dotting it. He gazed around curiously before turning his head. Izumi appeared besides him, smiling impishly still her fairy wings fluttering as she hovered in the air. "Are you ready my little newbie?"

"When will you stop calling me that?"  
"When I get bored of it," she replied with a shrug. Kouichi rolled his eyes again before looking around.

"So… Where're these monsters we're suppose to fight?"

"Let's look for them," she smiled still hovering in the air. Her gloved hand took his as she tugged it. Together they ran through the field. Kouichi continuously looking around in amazement at the realness of it, he still couldn't believe it. He saw Izumi smiling out of the corner of his eye again, and he too smiled at it as they ran through the fields laughing and searching. It seemed like such a peaceful area he couldn't imagine there were really any monsters… digimon… lurking around…

He yelped as suddenly Izumi dived to the ground pulling him down with her. Wincing he rubbed his head turning to ask her what the problem was before feeling his face pale as he saw a monster standing only a yard away. It was a devil-like creature to him. Clothed in tight black leather it seemed, its right hand wrapped up in brown bandages. So this was one of the monsters they were supposed to face? He shook his head gripping the bo-staff with both hands as he turned his head opening his mouth to ask Izumi what to call this thing and their plan of action. But instead he saw his friend shaking her eyebrows near her hairline, her eyes wide as saucers no doubt beneath the visor. She stood slowly moving to stand between the creature and Kouichi whispering softly to herself, though Kouichi easily could hear her. "How..? Devimon's aren't supposed to be in this area… Only rookie-levels are supposed to be here… Something's not right…"

Devimon? So that's what the thing was called. Kouichi stood slowly as well frowning at Izumi's words. "What do you mean its not suppose to be here?"

"It… It's gotta be a glitch… We should get out of here and quick Kouichi…" She was still shaking as she reached out holding his hand. "Look. To warp out of here jus-"

Izumi didn't have a chance to finish as the Devimon shot forward. A cry of surprise escaped Kouichi as Izumi pushed him out of the way of the claw before she shot up into the air kicking the devil in the side of the head. Kouichi stumbled to his feet backing away from the digimon. He tried to think, but he had never even had any experience fighting in the game. Devimon swatted Izumi away like a fly. He shouted out to her as she hit the ground harshly, running to her only to narrowly avoid another swipe of Devimon's claw. He fell back raising his staff to block an attack from Devimon, rolling out of the way of another one. He felt his heart racing as he looked over towards his friend who was still lying motionless. No doubt stunned by the attack. He had to lead the digimon away from her… Or at least until she regained her senses. Then she could get out of there. The only thing he knew now was one simple fact. He had to protect Izumi…

He was hit by the Devimon's claw, it sent him flying through the flowered field. Groaning he tried to get up again but froze as he saw the Devimon looming over him. His life points were low. Another attack was coming. There was no way he could avoid it… He was going too die…

"Breezy Sanctuary!" The attack was halted as a flurry of wind erupted around Kouichi; forming a protective cocoon of sorts. He looked to the side where Izumi was once again in the sky the gems on her gloves glowing. Her eyebrows knitted in concentration as she kept her hands crossed at the wrists. Growling the Devimon swiped at her, Izumi easily avoiding. Helplessly Kouichi watched his friend battle from within the shield she had created to keep him safe. But it was obvious that she couldn't attack as long as the cocoon was active. He gripped the bo-staff looking up at the fairy as she avoided another attack.

"Izumi! Kaze! Whatever! Drop the barrier! At this rate you'll get killed!"

"I'm a stronger level!" She shot back ducking out of the way of another attack. "I can't take this guy on. You have to get out of here! Press the start button and it'll give you the option to warp out of here! Do it! I'll follow!"

Kouichi nodded immediately doing as she instructed. He selected the warp out button but nothing happened. He felt a trickle of sweat run down his face as he looked up at Izumi. Panic gripping his voice. "I can't!"

"What do you _mean _you can't!?" She screamed turning her head to look at him giving the Devimon the opportunity to nail her. Crying out the fairy-garbed warrior crashed into the ground the wind cocoon vanishing. Kouichi reacted without thinking running forward and swinging his staff at the Devimon. It turned its attention on him, Kouichi ducking and rolling to the side to avoid a blow that created a crater. The sky around them was darkening, distorting. Thunder echoed through the air as Kouichi continued to narrowly avoid attacks.

"Healing Wind!" His life points replenished as Izumi shouted the attack. Kouichi shouted thanks to her before blocking with his staff gritting his teeth as he tried to hold of the digimon.

"Any plans!?"

"None," his friend shouted back as she raised her hands sending another wind-based spell at the Devimon. "We can't warp out, and we're barely doing any damage!"

"So what do we do!?" He jumped out of the way from the attack once again striking with his staff though it barely did a thing.

"Right now run and try not to die!" Her hand grabbed hold of his. Petals flew from their flowers as Izumi's fairy wings flapped propelling the two into the air. Kouichi held onto her hands for dear life glancing back at the Devimon who was hot on pursuit.

"Izumi… I think he's faster!"

"Shut up I know!"

"What are we gonna do!?"

"I told you I don't know!" She snapped swerving to the side to avoid a blast of red light. Panic too gripped her voice, she sounded ready to burst into tears. Kouichi looked back again his heart ramming into his chest.

This was just a game! Just a game! Why was he getting so freaked out!? It wasn't like if they died here they would die in real life…

But… If that was the case, why was he so terrified? Was it because of how real the creature looked? Or how real the attacks felt..?

Red, hot light hit him square in the back. Eyes widening he felt his grip on Izumi's hands break. She screamed his name as he hurtled towards the ground black spots clouding his vision. He saw her flying towards him with an outstretched hand. He reached for it before the world around him faded to black.

This was the end…

-

He couldn't move. What had happened..? That was right… He had first entered _The Digital World_, with the encouragement of his best friend Izumi, or Kaze as she was called in the game. She had decided to take him to an easy leveled field in order to help him get the hang of the game. But a digimon named Devimon had been there. It wasn't supposed to be there, but it was regardless. That was right. He hadn't been able to warp out of the area. They had been forced to fight it. He had been hit, he had crashed. That was right… That's what had happened. His head was pounding as he tried to move but found himself unable too still. Everything was so heavy. Was this really it? Had he really been killed? He couldn't believe it. Had Izumi managed to escape? Was she alright? Or had she been killed too?

"Kouichi!? Kouichi can you hear me!?" Izumi… Her voice reached his ears as he finally managed to open his eyes. They were still in the Field of Light. The stormy clouds were gone. He was lying on his back in the field of flowers, Izumi knelt to his side. Tears racing down her face from beneath the visor. He blinked clearing his vision as he tried to sit up, only to be knocked down by her hug. "Oh thank god! You're okay!"

"Wh-What happened? I thought…"

"We were saved," she murmured as she kept him in a tight embrace. Kouichi felt her tears against his shoulder. Sighing softly he raised his arms wrapping them tightly around her, stroking her hair gently.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," he soothed softly. "I'm fine Izumi. See? Besides, remember, its just a game."

"I-I know that," she choked out releasing him finally, tilting her visor to rest on top of her head as she wiped her tears away. Sniffing loudly as she choked back another sob. "Bu-But…"

"I am glad to see you are both unharmed." A gentle voice sounded. Kouichi turned his head suddenly becoming aware of the two new players. One was knelt to his right, the other stood behind the knelt one, keeping a watchful eye. The one who had spoken was female, a smile decorating her face, as opposed to the scowl that was on her male companion's. She was wearing a sleeveless white dress. Her hair was a golden color sweeping to her waist, a star-like crest resting on her forehead. A white glove reached to her elbow on her right arm, while a golden bracelet wrapped around the opposite left wrist. White angelic wings were folded behind her, a quiver full of pure-ivory colored arrows and a feather-like bow sat to her left. Just behind her was the male player. Pale blonde hair neatly swept to his chin, crimson colored eyes narrowed at Kouichi and Izumi. He was wearing white pants and a matching white shirt. Silver chest armor, however, rested over the shirt. Matching armor wrapped around his shins and forearms. Black belts wrapped around his upper legs and arms. His boots looked more like metal-clawed feet, his gloved hand resting on the hilt of one of the two sword hilts that rested on his side… Or at least Kouichi assumed them to be hilts… Despite not seeing any blades attached to them. Blinking Kouichi rubbed his head again looking from Izumi to their two obvious saviors.

"Are you alright?" The women spoke a frown on her face. Kouichi looked at her before giving a simple nod.

"Yeah… What… Happened?"

"Lobo and I were investigating a virus in this area when we saw you and your friend being attacked." The women responded gesturing to the man with her gloved hand. "We quickly stepped in to assist you both."

"Oh… Th-Thank you!" He tried to give a courteous bow, his head giving another painful throb. The women laughed a little covering her mouth with one hand.

"Oh it was no problem. It is our job after all!"

"Thank Hikari." The man snorted with an ice-cold voice. He looked away from them a scowl still on his face. "She was the one who insisted we step in."

"Don't let Lobo attempt to fool you into believing he's heartless." The female, Hikari, responded. The man, Lobo, immediately opened his mouth in annoyance but she continued ignoring him. "He was the one who rushed to catch you… Oh! I never got your name!"  
"Oh! I-I'm Kou-"

"This is Lowe," Izumi cut in smiling happily as she returned her visor to rest over her eyes. "And I'm Kaze. Thank you so much for helping us Hikari-san, Lobo-san."

"As Hikari mentioned, it's our job," snorted Lobo as he continued to eye them with sharp crimson eyes. "Why didn't you two get out of here when you realized you stood no chance?"

"We couldn't…"

"What do you mean you 'couldn't'?"

"Just that… I tried at the very start but I couldn't warp out." Kouichi supplied frowning slightly at the interrogation. He felt suddenly like they were being accused of something horrible. The angel-like user raised her gloved hand again turning her head to look at Lobo.

"Now, now, Lobo, no need for an interrogation. Can you both warp out now Lowe-kun? Kaze-chan?"

"Lowe why don't you try? If so I'll meet you in File Island by the Digi'Port. Okay?" Kouichi looked at Izumi with a small frown. He turned his gaze on the two other players before back at Izumi. She continued smiling pleasantly and he knew quite simply that Izumi would not accept no for an answer. He nodded quietly holding his staff as he selected the warp out option. Light blinded his vision the same sensation as before engulfing him. This time he shut his eyes, when he felt himself land he opened them slowly. He was standing in File Island again, right besides the Digi'Port. Blinking he scratched his head looking around again. It really had been some strange glitch…

He waited off to the side of the Digi'Port for Izumi, idly toying with his staff as he shifted anxiously from foot to foot. What was taking her so long? She had said she would follow him. Had those two players held her up? Had that guy, Lobo, accused her of something? Maybe Izumi had been unable of warping out. But that seemed odd seeing as he could easily warp out. Frowning he looked at the glowing sphere. Watching the people warp in and out of File Island. But still no Izumi. He felt more and more anxious with each passing moment as he toyed continuously with the bo-staff.

He shouldn't be nervous. Izumi was probably fine. Besides, she _was_ sitting just next to him. Outside of the game. He had to keep reminding himself, this was all just a game. Just a game. Just a game.

Izumi's character finally appeared, followed by the appearance of the two players from the field. He stepped towards them but stopped watching as Izumi politely bowed saying something that Kouichi couldn't hear. Smiling she turned fluttering over to him. Over her shoulder he saw the Lobo player continue to scowl saying something to the Hikari player. She nodded in response turning to the Digi'Port vanishing shortly there after. Leaving Lobo by himself, his gaze locked on them. Shaking his head he turned to look at Izumi frowning worriedly.

"What took you so long?"

"Sorry, sorry, we were just talking." She smiled sheepishly glancing back at Lobo before him. "Let's log out. That's enough excitement for your first time."

He stared at her quirking an eyebrow up but nodded logging out from _The Digital World_.

(-)(-)(-)

**This might be the WEIRDEST fanfic I've ever created in my mind… But I like it sooo much :3 it's the result of my love for .hack being reignited, and my love for digimon. I know it's probably confusing though. I'll try to answer any questions readers ask! Whether it's down here or in the story!**

**Also felt it was about time for me to post up a new fic, and one that I DON'T have writers block in… I have a couple chapters pre-written for this story. Though that doesn't mean there will be quick updates :P**

**I'd also like to point out I am not in college. Meaning I have responsibility to school work first… Meaning I will be using this fic to procrastinate from work :3**

**Onto the actual story notes… Izumi's avatar is essentially really supposed to resemble Kazemon. Kouichi's **_**was**_** supposed to have aspects from Lowemon… But it mostly turned out to be an original idea. Some of the characters that appear will resemble their digimon counterparts while others… Won't XD Why yes, this is a massive season cross over. And I'm also trying to incorporate many things from the Digimon series into the game world. Like fields and such. But I'm not that great at coming up with them. So suggestions for different fields/keywords for them (based from Digimon naturally) would be greatly appreciated! Along perhaps with user names and jobs o.o It would be appreciated. Also anyone interested in beta-ing? Cause I'd like that...**

**I think I picked the wrong categories... XD; I suck at that. Ah wells**

**Okay, I've rambled enough… Review pwease? :3 **


	2. LOGIN 002

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

**LOGIN_002**

_The Digital World_, the most popular MMORPG game ever. Every person knew about it, and of the controversy that had followed the game when it was first launched –players were falling into comas. Gennai Inc., the company that had created _The Digital World_, never made an official statement of what had been the cause, but many players had said it was a vicious angel that had deleted players. Among the players of the first _Digital World_ there were two that, according to veterans, had taken a stand against the vicious angel and defeated it just as_ The Digital World_ itself shut down). Their names had become infamous amongst players, new and old.

Fervor of the Rising Sun and Licht of the Rising Moon they were called. But were they real? Or were they just a myth?

-

He sighed softly as he stood in File Island by the Digi'Port "patiently" waiting for Izumi to log in, just like he had told her he would do on the 25th at 5 o'clock. It had only been four days since she had left Japan for the boarding school in Italy, telling him that she would be all set up and to meet her in _The Digital World_. He had naturally assumed though she meant the time in Japan, not Italy. Maybe he had been wrong? What time would it be in Japan when it was 5 o'clock in Italy? He had a feeling these time differences were going to give him a headache as the year progressed. Anxiously, he found himself shifting from foot to foot and looking around. It was his first time back in the game since the last fiasco; since the strange glitch in the Field of Light and since his first encounter with Lobo and Hikari, two of _The Digital World_'s administers. From what little Izumi had told him after logging out that day they were not in any sort of trouble and she had managed to quell any suspicion Lobo had possessed against them, which was good, Kouichi assumed. He remembered the lecture Izumi had given him about using his real name. It was more out of concern he supposed, on the admin's part, but he really could care less. It wasn't like he was giving out his address. But he supposed he would listen to Izumi and use his user name the next time someone requested for it…

Where was she!? He grumbled irritably, tapping his foot as he looked around for his late friend. Had something happened? What if she had gotten hurt on her way to school? What if the plane had crashed? Maybe she was sick?

His eyes widened at these thoughts and he looked frantically around the area again in hopes that she had arrived and he had merely missed her. But there was still no sight of the scantily-clad fairy named Kaze. Groaning, he leaned against the wall, shutting his eyes tight. She was fine, why was he worrying? Sure, she was across the ocean now, but he would've heard if something had happened… Right?

"Oi! Newbie!" The sudden voice caught his attention drawing him out of his crazed thoughts. Slowly, he turned his head to look up at the burly player that stood in front of him. He was a good head and an inch taller than Kouichi and much more muscular then his own lean character, Lowe. He was clad in gold and blue armor, large gauntlets concealing his hands. His skin was tanner then Kouichi's character, with spiked electric blue hair sticking out against the skin tone. Gulping, Kouichi felt himself step away; suddenly afraid he had done something to offend the user. The man continued to stare at him, frowning before speaking again, "You're Lowe right?"

"Ye-Yes…"

"You're Kaze's friend right?"

"Ye-Yes…"

"Oh good!" The atmosphere of the man changed completely, the frown fading away to be replaced by a good-natured grin. Kouichi yelped as the man gave him a good pat on the back, shrinking slightly as he peeked up at him. Who the hell was this guy? And more importantly, how did he know Izumi? "Kaze asked me to find you and give you some Lancer stuff."

He was here to give Kouichi items..? But that made no sense…

_"I'll message one of my friends through to see if he has any items he can do without, okay?"_

That was right! She had told him she would ask one of her friends for items. But Kouichi couldn't help but be surprised. When had she managed to do this? The man still smiled at him, offering out his hand. "The name's Blitz."

Kouichi smiled back shyly as he took the hand, politely shaking it. "It's nice to meet you Blitz-kun."

"Just Blitz," the player stated with a friendly laugh as he pulled his hand away. "Right, so I have some Lancer stuff you could use to fix up your character a bit."

"It's okay Blitz… I mean, you don't-"

"It's what I do," Blitz replied, cutting off Kouichi's feeble attempts to refuse the items. Again Kouichi tried to argue further but could not even get one word out, a gift box appeared over his head forcing him to stop and stare up at it in confusion. Slowly he clicked on it, eyes widening as his inventory screen appeared in front of him, a plethora of new items appearing in it. Blitz continued to grin, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm an item-collector; I collect items, and then if I decide to, give them out to new players like you. So don't worry; it's not like I could _use_ any Lancer stuff. And it's all pretty basic."

"… Thank you." There was no winning the argument, Kouichi saw that. He began to curiously look through the inventory screen, sorting through the items given to him. He selected and equipped pieces that interested him, shyly peeking up at Blitz from behind blond bangs when he was finished. "Do I look stupid?"

"Nope, c'mon."

"I'm supposed to wait for Kaze here…"

"Oh she can wait a little bit." Blitz grinned winking one of his jade colored eyes, his gauntlet clad hand grabbing Kouichi's upper arm and pulling the younger boy along to the river; just like Izumi had when he first entered _The Digital World_. Glimpsing at the reflection, Kouichi couldn't help but feel happier about his appearance then when he had done it last time with Izumi. A character with side-swept blonde hair and crimson colored eyes gazed back at him lazily. He still wore the black mask that covered his nose and mouth, along with the tight black shirt that stopped above his stomach. Over it was a high-collared black jacket lined with gold that reached down to his ankles, and, when Kouichi managed to get a look, had a golden lion emblazed on the back. He wore the same pants as he did before, but this time he had traded in the strange belts for black-armored kneepads and his old shoes for scuffed, but seemingly sturdy boots. Smiling happily under the mask, he looked to Blitz, who was holding the same bo-staff with gloved hands (he would look through the weapons later). Kouichi bowed slightly to the taller player, the smile still on his face. "Thank you!"

"No problem Lowe," Blitz laughed once again giving Kouichi a good-natured slap on the back, nearly knocking the smaller character into the river in the process. "C'mon, we better get you back to the Digi'Port before Kaze comes. She'll kill me if you're missing, I'm sure."

He couldn't help but laugh at that along with Blitz as they walked back to the Digi'Port. Smiling still, Kouichi looked around at the other players within the game. Now, he felt more at ease with the company of Blitz as he stood by the Digi'Port awaiting Izumi, the crazed thoughts from earlier now absent. Tilting his head he turned to look at Blitz, frowning slightly. "Hey Blitz?"

"Hm?"

"Have you experienced any weird glitches lately? Like… Digimon being in areas they aren't supposed to..?"

Blitz stared at him long and hard for a moment, the grin on the older character's face vanishing immediately, replaced now with a deep frown. Kouichi wondered suddenly if he had said something wrong, looking down at his feet and shifting anxiously. He opened his mouth apologize, but was suddenly cut off before he even started. "No. Not in this version anyways."

"This… Version..?" Blinking, he looked at Blitz, but the other player said nothing, crossing his arms and closing his eyes in thought.

"You know the first version of _The Digital World_ right? The one where the players were falling into comas?" Kouichi nodded, who hadn't heard of the first version? It was in all the newspapers at the time. "Back then there were glitches like that…"

They fell into silence. Kouichi looked back at his boots, shifting anxiously as he tried to figure out something else to say, but nothing came to mind. He mulled over Blitz's words. Those glitches had happened before, when the so called 'vicious angel' was attacking players, and people were going into comas as a result. But… It was just a coincidence. After all, if it wasn't… Well they would have heard something right?

He found himself watching people going in and out of the Digi'Port. Though still content with the company of Blitz, he felt uneasy again. Where was Izumi?

"See that guy?" Blitz spoke suddenly pointing towards one of the players, in no doubt an attempt to make small talk. Kouichi followed the pointing finger tilting his head to the side as he looked at the indicated player. The character was speaking to a few others, though many of them were shaking their heads, some were even laughing. The player Blitz had pointed to was shorter then Kouichi's own, dressed in baggy red pants held up by a belt with a fairly large buckle, the kanji for 'fire' embedded on it. The player was shirtless, his skin a copper color and his feet were bare; though it didn't seem to bother him in the least as he walked across the ground. A sword was strapped to his back, and the player's wavy orange hair was swaying slightly as he turned his head to walk away from the ones he had been speaking to. Kouichi blinked, scrutinizing the stranger before looking back up at Blitz, wondering why he had suddenly pointed the boy out to him. "He's trying to form a party."

"A party?"

"Yeah, it's when a group of players get together and go to the same area. They fight as a team and as a result they share the wealth from their victory and the experience points. It's a good idea not to run around solo in _The Digital World_; at least when you're a newbie."

"Do you have a party then?"

"I form parties occasionally with some friends, but I travel around a lot on my own. I've been playing the game longer then you though, since the first version, so I've got a better idea of how the game works. Plus, I'm at a higher level then you, dear little newb. So it's not as dangerous for me to run around on my own." Kouichi nodded, brushing bangs out of his eyes as he continued to watch the player. Blitz chuckled a bit, watching as well. "He doesn't seem to be having any luck. Wonder where he's so eager to go to…and why no one wants to join up with him… Normally someone does…"

"Maybe they just don't…" Kouichi trailed off watching as the player made his way over to them.

"Hey! Lancer-dude," Kouichi felt his eye twitch feeling the urge to hit the player over the head. The boy smiled though, Kouichi taking note of the white tattoos that decorated his chest and face, they stood out in sharp contrast to his skin. Big sky blue eyes looked up at Blitz and himself as the boy continued. "Do you and your friend wanna join a party with me?"

"Depends on where you're going," Blitz remarked, smiling that same good-natured smile.

"Oh! I was thinking of going to the castle at the Rose Morning Star!"

"Are you kidding?" Kouichi jumped at the shout watching Blitz as he continued to stare at the stranger incredulously. "Why would you want to go there of all places!? There are much easier levels…"

"Fine, never mind!" Kouichi continued to blink, watching the player walk off and make another attempt with other players. Lowe turned his head to Blitz, still adorning a shocked expression.

"Is the Rose Morning Star a hard area..?"

"You could say that…" Blitz sighed shaking his head. "It's a tough area, don't get me wrong. But it's also… Taboo, so to speak. I wonder what he wants to prove going to that place? After all it was said that was where…"

Blitz trailed off. Kouichi looked at him his eyebrow slowly quirking up. Taboo? What was so taboo about that place? Kouichi waited quietly, hoping that his friend would continue and answer the young Lancer's silent questions, but the older player remained silent for nearly a minute before snapping back to life. "Crap!"

"Wh-What!?"

"I gotta go! Sorry Lowe, my mom's shouting for me! I'll talk to you soon okay? If you ever want to form a party feel free to invite me alright? And if you got any questions just email me! Tell Kaze I said 'hi'!" Kouichi couldn't help but laugh, smiling a little at the spastic way Blitz had reacted. Maybe he wasn't all that older then Kouichi?

"Alright, I'll see you later Blitz!"

Blitz grinned again, waving as he vanished from sight, and once more Kouichi was left alone. He leaned against the wall of one of the buildings that framed the Digi'Port, idly watching the same player attempt to form a party. The Rose Morning Star… What was so frightening about it? It sounded like a field that would be full of roses and stars. What was so taboo about it? And what had Blitz begun to say before he trailed off? What had happened in that area..?

Curiosity getting the better of him, as well as sheer boredom, Kouichi pushed himself towards the player, timidly reaching his hand out and tapping the other's shoulder, which causing the other to jump. The player turned around immediately, looking ready to shout, but the act faded when he saw Kouichi and a scowl formed on the player's child-like face. "What?"

"Why do you want to go to the Rose Morning Star? My friend said it's tough…"

The boy was quiet for a moment before looking away and shutting his eyes, his hands resting behind his head. "I'm going because I want to go. It's a simple as that."

"That's a silly reason…" Kouichi blinked slightly before stumbling back as the boy's eyes snapped open, the large blue eyes narrowing into dark slits. The boy stepped towards Kouichi; the reaction distantly reminded him of something he once saw his classmates do when they were about to fight.

"Yeah, well shut up!" His fear vanished immediately, and Kouichi could only stare while attempting not to laugh.

"Th-That was a really lame come back…"

"You want me to sock you!?" The player shouted in exasperation as he turned around with an 'hmph'. "Look, just get lost. You don't want to help me either, so beat it."

"I never said I didn't want to help you." The words left Kouichi's mouth before he could take them back. The boy spun around again but this time he didn't glare. This time he looked at Kouichi with wide, happy eyes.

"You mean you want to join my party!?"

"Well…" Kouichi grimaced at the thought of what Izumi or Blitz would say, but when he looked at the hopeful boy and he couldn't help but sigh in defeat. "Sure… Why not? But I don't have a lot of experience… This is only my second time playing…"

"That's okay!" The boy grinned, pumping a fist up into the air. "Alright! This is awesome! I'm Flare, by the way!"

"Um… Lowe." What was he getting himself into?

"Nice to meet'cha Lowe! C'mon! Let's go!"

"Sh-Shouldn't we try to get more people in a party!?"

"Nah! We'll be fine," Flare grinned impishly forcing Kouichi to groan. What _had_ he gotten himself into?

-

The Rose Morning Star area was nothing like its name. It was not a rose-covered field beneath a starry sky; instead the field itself was, to say the least, an extraordinarily gloomy place. A large translucent rose hung in the air, which reminded him of the Aurora Borealis that he'd seen in a book once. Beneath the star sat a crumbling castle that looked like it was barely standing. Kouichi couldn't even imagine how it _was_ still standing... He recalled Blitz's words, frowning slightly to himself; he had said this was an area even the most skilled players had difficulty with. This was an area that seemed to be taboo to people. Something had happened here before, something that caused people to fear it... But what had happened was the question, and that was something Kouichi was determined to figure out. Frowning still, he peeked over the rock Flare and he had hidden behind upon arriving. Green goblin-type digimon were patrolling the entrance, looking all too powerful to him, and he doubted they could defeat _one_ let alone the two there. Cautiously he eyed the two goblins before sitting back down with a sigh. Yet again he just had to wonder _why_ Flare was so anxious to go in.

Speaking of Flare…

The player besides him was bouncing on the balls of his bare feet, anxious, no doubt, to enter the crumbling building that lay just beyond the two goblins. Kouichi frowned deeply as he peeked back over at the two digimon they had to get past. "Any sort of plan, Flare?"

"We charge in!"

"What level are you?" Flare blinked at the question, his head tilting to the side in a cat-like fashion. Kouichi waited nervously, gripping his bo-staff as the other tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Around Level 10… Why?"

"I'm Level 1, Flare. Those guys are probably a really, really, _really_, high level. We can't just charge in."

"Why can't we just charge in?" Flare asked in such an innocent way it made Kouichi want to bash his head into the rock they were cowering behind.

"Because Flare. We are lower levels. We'll die. We need to think of- Hey! Wait a second! Flare!" His eyes widened as he watched Flare leap out from behind the rock, unsheathing his sword and completely ignore him. Stumbling up and after him, Kouichi gawked as Flare slashed at one of the goblins. Cursing to himself, the lance-bearer ran forward, blocking the second goblin from attacking Flare while his back was turned. Gritting his teeth, he was pushed back to back with Flare. He glanced briefly at Flare, the two momentarily locking gazes, a small smirk forming across Lowe's face. With a nod to himself, he ducked beneath the goblin, and at the same moment he saw Flare jump out of the way. The two goblin's clubs collided with one another, exploding into data upon impact.

Releasing a large sigh of relief, Kouichi flopped onto his back before blinking up at Flare as the ever-hyper swordsmen jumped with glee. Words appeared over their heads, causing Kouichi to blink in confusion, but that confusion vanished when he realized what the words said.

"Yes! We Leveled Up! We Leveled Up! Yes! Way to think on your feet there Lowe!" Kouichi smiled a bit as he pushed himself up on his elbows, watching his excited new friend bounce about.

"I wouldn't have had to if you hadn't rushed in." He pointed out, but the smiled still remained. "You shouldn't be so reckless."

Flare laughed after the comment, shyly rubbing the side of his nose with his thumb. "Geeze. You sound just like my friend."

"Oh, so you _do_ have friends."

"Well… I did…" Kouichi tilted his head opening his mouth to say something, but closed it as Flare extended his hand to him. "C'mon. Let's get going. We still got to fight whatever's inside."

Kouichi took the hand silently and stood up, his head turning to look at the entrance of the castle. Two large wooden doors stood in front of them, though they looked like they were barely attached to their hinges. Frowning, Kouichi allowed his staff to rest on one of his shoulders. What was in here that was so secret?

"Why do you want to go in here Flare?"

"You can turn back now if you want, I wouldn't hold it against you if you wanted to go." Kouichi blinked in surprise before finding another smile form, reaching out to rest his gloved hand on one of the large doors.

"I can't turn back now. So let's go," he smiled more when he saw that same carefree grin return to Flare's face. The character just did not seem suited _not _to have that infectious smile adorning his face. Nodding once again, the orange-haired player pumped his fist into the air.

"Right! Let's go!"

"One thing though, Flare."

"What's that?"

"No running into battle, and from here on out, we whisper. We can't risk anyone seeing us. If we remain quiet then we can get the upper hand by sneaking up on them. Okay?" Flare stared at him long and hard and Kouichi felt himself shift uneasily. "What..?"

"Are you sure this is only the second time playing this game?" Flare was grinning still as they opened the doors. The swordsman raised a finger went to lips as they snuck in

The state of the inside of the castle was no different than the outside, cobwebs clung to every crumbling wall and puddles of water seeped through the cracks. Dim torches lit the halls, but most of the lighting devices seemed to have gone out. Gripping their respective weapons, the two slowly made their way through the corridors. No digimon had appeared since the two goblins at the entrance, and Kouichi couldn't help but feel concerned by this. After all, if Blitz, who was of a higher level than the two of them combined, had expressed concern about the area then… Shouldn't it be more difficult?

Something didn't feel right…

"Flare…"

"What's up?" Came the curious reply. Kouichi glanced at the other player out of the corner of his eye, Flare still looking completely relaxed, the carefree grin stamped on his face. His frown deepened as he looked around, pausing for a moment, head turning nervously. He could have sworn he had just heard something… But nothing was around… They were the only ones in the corridor.

"Just… Shouldn't there be other… Enemies here?"

"Now that you mention it…" The grin faded away, replaced by a surprisingly serious frown. "No one's around…"

They exchanged uneasy looks and slowly continued to walk down the stone passage, Kouichi's crimson eyes remaining narrowed. Their footsteps echoed in the heavy air, each of them remaining rigid, eyes darting around as they walked, jumping at any sound. Kouichi looked over his shoulder, feeling as though they were being watched, but nothing was behind them. The corridor was empty…

Maybe there was really nothing at the Rose Morning Star and it could have just been a rumor that older players had begun to frighten the newer players with… Maybe…

A scream escaped him before the rest of his mind registered what was happening. Something hit him square in the back sending him flying forward into Flare, the two toppling to the ground. Kouichi gasped in blinding pain, every inch of him screaming out in agony. Searing torture shot through him and as he bit back another scream he felt Flare pick him up, leaping out of the way of what Kouichi assumed was another attack. Kouichi tried to get his senses to work but he couldn't. Sweat ran down his face and he felt himself being set down before something was pressed against his mouth.

"Drink it! Quick!" Flare's voice was distant and Kouichi felt his head drop to one side, but was quickly jerked straight again by Flare's hand. "Lowe! C'mon! You can't ditch me now!"

A cool liquid ran down his throat, rushing through his veins. The pain numbed as his vision began to clear. Flare was knelt in front of him, a panicked, frightened look on the character's youthful face. Blinking, Kouichi focused in a little more, raising a shaking hand to wipe his mouth, a sigh of relief escaped the other boy. "I thought you kicked the bucket for sure there, buddy. Don't do that again."

"What happened?" Kouichi whispered, glancing from side to side. They were in another corridor, Kouichi sitting the furthest away from the entrance while Flare remained between the entrance and himself, one hand on the hilt of his sword while the other held an empty glass bottle. The swordsman shifted from his crouched position as he tossed the empty bottle aside, beginning to root through his baggy pant pockets as he answered Kouichi's question.

"An Arukenimon hit you with one of her attacks and poisoned you. Here, take this too; your HP must be real low by now." He pulled another bottle out from one of his pockets, handing it to Kouichi who took it silently. Downing it, he couldn't help but feel a bit better, like more of his energy had returned. He tossed the bottle aside, wiping his sweaty face on the sleeve of his jacket as he stood up, leaning slightly against his bo-staff.

"Arukenimon? What's that..?"

"That." Flare whispered simply, pointing to a red-and-purple-striped humanoid spider that scampered past. A shudder ran down his spine and he subconsciously stepped back, pressing tightly against the wall.

He hated spiders, absolutely _hated_ them. Nervously, he looked at Flare before glancing back out at the passing spider. There was no way they would be able to get past it. Arukenimon knew that there were two 'intruders' in the castle, and most likely it was looking for them. One hit from her had nearly killed Kouichi. Shutting his eyes, he racked his brain in an attempt to come up with a plan, grateful that this time Flare did not rush out, but that was most likely because he was worried about Kouichi. Slowly, Lowe opened his eyes, brushing blonde hair out of them. He leaned against his staff heavily as he gazed out of the corridor they hid behind. They had to come up with a plan. If they didn't…

"Lowe, stay here okay?" Kouichi stared at his companion. Flare looked past him, his hand gripping his sword tightly. "Stay here and leave the spider to me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm a higher level, I can last longer against it then you." The request reminded Kouichi of what Izumi had said to him when they had been battling the Devimon. Kouichi shook his head, frowning as he turned to look back out into the corridor the spider-digimon was patrolling. "Lowe, please."

"We're partners." Kouichi turned his head to look at Flare again, a small smile worming its way across his face. "I'm not ditching you now. We've come too far."

Flare sighed slightly but said nothing as he stepped forward again. His sword was raised, allowing the blade to lightly rest against his right shoulder, a frown on his lips. "We're gonna need a good plan then, buddy."

"I'm working on that." The smile faded as Kouichi too frowned. "Do you know if Arukenimons have any weaknesses?"

Flare shook his head as they saw the spider pass right by the entrance and Kouichi was grateful that it still had yet to notice them. Chewing his lip, he shifted his weight before straightening, holding his staff tightly. "I have an idea. I'm not sure how well it'll work though…"

"I have a couple more Antidotes and Potions if worse comes to worse, and I think a couple of Revives," came the response.

"Alright. Then here's what we are going to do. I'll attack it first. Then while it's distracted I want you to attack it with your most powerful attack."

"… That's it..?"

"Can you come up with anything better?"

"Well… No… But… Okay," Flare nodded a bit before shifting once again, sorting through his pockets. He pulled out more of the glass bottles, some with a purple liquid inside them while the others had green. He handed them to Kouichi who took them in confusion. "These are some Potions and Antidotes. Use them when you need them alright?"

Kouichi nodded simply as he slipped the bottles into his pocket. He glanced at Flare one last time before taking a deep breath and he stepped out into the hallway, gripping his bo-staff as he slowly approached the spider-type digimon. It had its back to him, which would give him a tiny advantage, at least. Taking a deep breath, Kouichi gripped the staff tight before attacking. He got in one good swing before Arukenimon turned her attention to him, and he narrowly avoided a needle shower. His mind was screaming at how idiotic this plan of his was. He swung his staff again, striking the spider-digimon over the head, who released a small shout of pain before growling. Getting a good swipe in, Kouichi released another cry of pain as he was sent crashing into the wall. Gritting his teeth, he rolled out of the way of an attack before blocking another with his staff. Beads of sweat dripped down his face, as he peered back where he had left Flare, but he couldn't look more as he leapt out of the way of another poison-based attack.

"Baby Salamander!" Flare came crashing down, his sword engulfed in fire. Jumping back again to avoid the attack, Kouichi watched as the fire crashed into the spider, Arukenimon howling in pain. Clasping his staff, Kouichi took the advantage to strike while Flare jumped back to prepare for another special attack. A hiss escaped their opponent, and without warning thread shot out from her mouth. Crying out, Kouichi was slammed into the wall, his body trapped by the spider's sticky web. He struggled in a vain hope to get free but it was no use. With wide eyes he watched Flare attempt to hold off the opponent, but he was hit by the poisonous needles, the youthful character hitting the ground and remaining still. Was he dead? A large lump formed in Kouichi's throat as he looked at his motionless friend before turning his attention back to the spider-digimon, who approached him with a smile on her face. A shiver ran down Kouichi's spine when she raised her hand and ran it against the side of his face before leaning closer and closer towards. He could see an insane glint in her eye, twinkling in the dim torch light. Breath caught in his throat as he tried to get away, terror running through him as she continued to slowly, ever so slowly, lean closer and closer to his neck, toying with her new victim. He saw the poison in her fangs glint, and his eyes squeezed shut as she prepared to bite him, awaiting the pain that would surely follow.

But that pain never came. Slowly, he allowed one eye to open just in time to watch the Arukenimon burst into data. Sparks of fire danced in front of his eyes as he looked past them and the bits data to see, Flare standing not too far away, though he looked ready to collapse at any moment. With wide red eyes, Kouichi once again found himself struggling to get loose as Flare shakily approached. Sweat glistened in the torch light as the copper colored face seemed to grow paler and paler with each step. Why wasn't he pausing to take an Antidote? At this rate…

Flare's sword cut through the sticky threads that held Kouichi prisoner. Dropping to the ground, he quickly stumbled back up to his feet, just in time to catch Flare as he lost his balance. Searching through his coat pockets he pulled out one of the Antidotes Flare had given him, and, with shaking, hands the younger player took the bottle and drank. Kouichi watched with worry as the swordsman closed his eyes, the color slowly returning to his face. Sighing in relief, Kouichi helped his friend to sit against the wall. It was Kouichi's turn to stay on guard while his friend recovered. Red eyes narrowed as they looked around for anymore spiders, his hands gripping his bo-staff.

"That… Was a dumb plan…" Flare's hoarse voice forced a laugh out of Kouichi as he relaxed, sitting down and across from the swordsmen. He rested his staff against his shoulder as he pulled one knee into his chest. One sky blue eye was opened, and a weak grin played across Flare's face. Then it slipped shut again as he tilted his head back. "Next time we should try running…"

"Why didn't you take an Antidote earlier?" Kouichi asked curiously as he held out a Potion. Flare opened his eyes again and downed the Potion before answering.

"I didn't have any left." Blinking, Kouichi looked at him before he understood the meaning behind the words.

"Why'd you…?"

Flare shrugged simply, his complexion returning to its proper shade. Shaking his head a bit, he opened his eyes looking at Kouichi. "You're alright?"

"Yeah."

"I'm glad… Got worried there for a second."

"It's just a game Flare," Kouichi quickly pointed out, though he recalled how fearful he had been just moments before, how he had thought he was really about to die despite the fact that it was a simple game, how he had thought Flare was going to really die. An amused look crossed Flare's features.

"Just a game… Heh, guess so." The way he said it forced Kouichi to quirk an eyebrow, there was no chance for him to question it. Flare stood up, sheathing his sword before looking back at Kouichi. "Well. C'mon Lowe, we've gotta keep going!"

"You seriously want to continue?" The blank stare Kouichi received answered his question and, sighing, he standing up. "Fine, fine, lead the way, oh fearless leader!"

They laughed as they continued to walk down the corridor, the tension from before seemingly vanished, though both remained on guard. As they continued to walk down the halls, taking twists and turns, traveling down stairs, they were met with more and more opponents, each time only narrowly winning. The deeper they went the stronger the digimon became, but Kouichi was getting the hang of game play, allowing him to access special attacks that were similar to Flare's 'Baby Salamander' attack from earlier, though his tended to be darkness based rather than fire based. He made a mental note to ask Izumi or Blitz about that later.

After what seemed like hours, and hundreds of enemy digimon later, they finally reached the final level of the castle. Leaning against his staff for support, Kouichi looked at Flare; the younger boy, just like Kouichi, was breathing heavily, scratches and dirt covering his face and chest. Kouichi wiped sweat from his brow, limping towards the other player and glancing around the room they had entered. "This is it… the last level." He paused, then stated, "Flare, nothing's here."

"Looks that way," came the soft reply. Frowning, Kouichi looked at the boy, an uncharacteristic, thoughtful expression coming across his face. "This is where it happened…"

"Where _what_ happened Flare?"

"Where Fervor of the Rising Sun and Licht of the Rising Moon defeated the virus that was putting kids in comas…" Kouichi tilted his head, looking around the barren room before back at Flare. He had heard about the comas, but he had never heard of these names. Then again that was most likely because he had only played the game twice now. He watched as Flare sat on the ground cross-legged, limping over to him quietly before sitting down beside him. "Is that why this place is taboo to people?" Flare just shrugged, leaning back on his hands and shaking messy hair out of his eyes.

"I guess. I don't get why though. It's not like that virus can come back…"

"Why did you want to come here so much Flare? There's nothing here…"

"Nothing here!? Nothing here!?" Flare's wide eyes turned on him. Kouichi gulped, opening his mouth to apologize but it was too late. Flare had jumped to his feet, spreading his arms out as he faced the still-seated Kouichi. "Lowe, this is where it all began. This is where the battle took place. I mean, maybe the castle wasn't here, I dunno about that., but the Rose Morning Star was where two users made their final stand. And it's because of them that those people in comas were able to wake up! How can you say there's nothing here!? Sure you can't see it physically, but it doesn't mean nothing is here! You can't always see with your eyes Lowe!"

"Sorry… I didn't mean to upset you…" They fell into an awkward silence. Shifting his gaze to the ground, Kouichi could hear Flare walking around the area, kicking at rocks that laid on the ground. He really hadn't meant to upset Flare. He toyed with his jacket sleeve before slowly glancing up, about to ask something, but Flare's soft musing caused him to stop.

"I've always wondered… What this place would look like now. After such a battle," his head tilted to one side as he reached a hand out to touch the wall. "It looks like nothing's here. But something's gotta be down here. Otherwise those digimon wouldn't be here. Maybe someone already took it though… What was here, I mean…"

"Maybe Fervor and Licht took whatever was here." Flare turned to look at him, his large eyes blinking in confusion forcing a laugh from Kouichi. "I mean… They probably have new user names now… So they came to reminisce or something…"

"… Probably," Flare laughed, flopping back to sit besides Kouichi, stretching his arms over his head. "Or maybe nothing's really here…"

They lapsed into silence again as Kouichi drew a leg into his chest. Thoughtfully, he rested his chin on his knee, looking at Flare from the corner of his eye. "Hey… Who exactly were those guys? What's with the titles?"

"No one really knows who they were. They were just ordinary users like us that wanted to begin investigating the comas and all the game glitches. Eventually they found the so-called vicious angel that was the cause and fought it just as the game shut down." A laugh escaped Flare, a look of excitement crossing his features. "No one knows if they were real or not. They're legends now - Legendary Warriors."

"So… You wanted to come here to see if they were real?" Shyly, Flare rubbed his nose, looking down at the ground.

"Sorta…"

"Why'd you want a party?" The other boy looked up at him, an amused look forming on his face.

"Because, it's no fun to play by yourself."

-

He watched as a Lancer and Swordsman departed the Rose Morning Star's crumbling castle. They said something to one another before warping out of the area. He couldn't hear what was said, not that he really cared. Lazily, he remained stretched out on one of the remnants of the castle's towers. His head tilted to the side before he raised his hand, tilting the helmet that rested over his eyes to lean back; a small, dual colored egg resting in the croak of his arm.

"You're gonna get in trouble for taking that." He looked up as another player came to sit beside him. The wind blew against them, ruffling his companion's cape as he looked down at where the two players had vanished from. "You were watching the whole time huh?"

"Pretty much," he responded looking at the small egg that rested in his lap, a curious look on his face. "They got to the bottom floor, at their levels… What do you make of it?"

The other player tilted his head back, his eyes focused up on the star that hung above them, a grin forming across his face. "I think things are finally getting interesting again, Licht."

(-)(-)(-)

**Oh my! Who could these new people really be? And what's this? Licht? Fervor? Their still playing under new names? What is with the egg? What is going on!? **

**I'm done now. Welcome to GG's Halloween-candy-induced-hyperactive-author's-note!**

**Everyone go attack Evide with lots of love for editing this chapter and making it all special and shiny and awesome! And fixing this author's many, many mistakes XD;**

**Oh! Right! So heads up… That beginning part will be seen at the beginning of the chapters for quite a while. Y'know… Like how in some TV shows they ALWAYS have that same opening monologue? Except this time it's in written form :3 It will change most likely, as the plot progresses.**

**Hoped you all enjoyed this chapter! I'll see you all next time!**


	3. LOGIN 003

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

**LOGIN_003**

_The Digital World_, the most popular MMORPG ever. Every person knew about it, and of the controversy that had followed the game when it was first launched – players were falling into comas. Gennai Inc., the company that had created _The Digital World_, never made an official statement of what had been the cause, but many players had said it was a vicious angel that had deleted players. Among the players of the first _Digital World_ there were two that, according to veterans, had taken a stand against the vicious angel and defeated it just as_ The Digital World_ itself shut down. Their names had become infamous amongst players, new and old.

Fervor of the Rising Sun and Licht of the Rising Moon they were called. But were they real? Or were they just a myth?

-

A small groan escaped him as he rested his head against his desk. He couldn't help but curse Izumi mentally for convincing him into staying up late in order to take on a dungeon level. Of course he could have said no that would have been very simple. Or rather, he could have _tried_ saying no. But in the end, he would have ended up following her. With this thought in his head, he changed courses. Now he cursed at _The Digital World_ - he had been hooked on it before he even realized it.

Sleepily, he raised his head, rubbing the sand out of his eyes. He sat alone in the classroom, idly watching the other students talk and laugh with one another. A twinge of jealousy went through him as he forced his gaze to his desk. He felt ostracized, he missed Izumi…

Before he had entered _The Digital World, _Izumi had really been his only friend. Sure, he spoke to other students; he had other acquaintances, but no real friends. No one he could rely on. But now, in _The Digital World,_ he had somehow managed to make two, though sometimes he wondered how long he'd be able to stand Flare's adventurous nature…

He also had to wonder just _how_ pathetic it was that he couldn't make friends in the Real World… But in _The Digital World_, a video game, he found it easier. Frowning thoughtfully to himself, he ran a hand through his mop of black hair. Was it really pathetic? Or was it different? He wasn't sure anymore, and thinking about it made his already throbbing head hurt more. Deciding to not think about it he let his head slowly rest in his arms. He still had a couple of minutes until class started. He could take a small nap, at least until the teacher came in…

A shout caused his head to snap back up, his head painfully throbbing as a result. He turned his head to the side curiously, just in time to watch one of his classmates fly into the desk besides him. As a reaction Kouichi stumbled to his feet, his chair clattering to the floor. Everyone had stopped their chatter, eyes on the student who was getting up. He had messy auburn hair, the uniformed maroon sports jacket dangling off one of his shoulders, while the black tie hung loosely around his neck. A scowl was on his face as he got up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Kouichi gulped, looking from this boy to the other one, the one who had thrown him into the desk. The other boy was standing, wearing the same outfit, though his tie was missing completely. He too had brown hair though it was a lighter color, half of it pulled back into a small ponytail. A smirk was on this student's face, his fist raised in preparation for the fight to continue. In his mind Kouichi said a quick prayer that the fight would _not_ continue.

Unfortunately, the fight did continue, the student who had been thrown now tackling the light-haired brunet. Almost immediately, they were rolling around the ground, throwing punches and kicking at each other while the rest of the class looked on. Some of the girls screamed, scrambling out of the way, and others attempted to break the two up. Others still decided to egg the fighting boys on, starting a traditional 'fight' chant. Kouichi rolled his eyes, but suddenly, he was knocked over. The pony-tailed boy had slammed his fist into the other's face, which sent him staggering back straight into Kouichi. They both fell over, Kouichi wincing on impact.

Seeing this as the perfect opportunity, Kouichi hooked his arms under the other's swinging ones, restraining his movement despite his thrashing in an attempt to continue the fight with the darker-haired brunet.

"Let go!" He shouted angrily, his elbow slamming into Kouichi's face. A yelp of surprise escaped Kouichi as he continued to hold his grip, and thankfully another class member went to go restrain the still-standing boy, though he had just as much luck as Kouichi. Both boys were struggling against their captors, trying to get back to their heated fight, all the while shouting insults at each other. The chanting of "fight! fight!" started to fade as others gained the courage to help restrain the two, although none of them had a lot of luck.

It was only when their teacher, Mr. Sakuma, arrived did the two fighters ceased their struggling, and settled with glaring at each other. And that was only because Mr. Sakuma had shouted at them to stop. Kouichi watched as Mr. Sakuma dragged the two boys out of the class by their sleeves, all the while lecturing them, rubbing his face where the elbow had collided. With a sigh, Kouichi turned his attention to the disheveled classroom. He joined the others as they began to pick up the fallen desks, the chatter returning.

"What were they fighting about _this_ time?" He turned his head ever so slightly to the side to look at the two students near him. It was a girl, her lavender hair pulled up into a ponytail, round glasses sliding down her nose. Kouichi recognized the boy she had spoken to as the first one that had shot out to help restrain the lighter haired brunet. He watched from the corner of his eye as the boy laughed, his hand running through his dark blue hair.

"Oh who knows? Masaru probably just wanted to pick a fight. And who better then Takuya?" The girl laughed, pushing her glasses up.

"That's true; they both are pretty hot-headed… We're lucky; if Daisuke was here we would have had a three-way brawl." The two laughed at that, before returning to their seats. Kouichi took his seat as well, returning to looking down at his desk. The chatter continued around him, now focused on the fight that had just occurred. He would think they would be use to it by now though…

Takuya Kanbara and Masaru Daimon were, to put it simple, two of the three class clowns; the third being Daisuke Motomiya, who had been out for the past two days. Honestly though, the class should be use to it. Takuya and Masaru seemed to have a fist fight at least once a week. Surprisingly enough, the two were actually friends. Though sometimes, Kouichi wondered how they were friends. Shaking the thoughts from his head he looked up. The chatter had ceased, Mr. Sakuma returning, Takuya and Masaru trudging behind. Stifling a yawn Kouichi rose to his feet with the rest of his class.

It was going to be a long day.

-

"Oh man! Masaru and Takuya had another fight? Damn I don't get to see any fights anymore…"

"You're so weird Izumi," he rolled his eyes as he watched the fairy flutter back and forth while he sat on the bridge, his legs dangling in front of him, contently gazing at the reflection of Lancer Lowe in the water. "I mean they really could have hurt each other…"

"Kouichi, you know as well as I do that those two have been duking it out since they met. And then they make up and go back to being friends, and then fight over something else five minutes later." She had a point there. Takuya and Masaru had been fighting ever since they met, and yet, somehow, the two were actually fairly good friends. Sighing a little, the blond-haired Lancer leaned back on his hands, tilting his head back to look up at his flying friend.

"Yeah, yeah I know. But still." Shaking his head, he opted to just change the subject all together. "How's school anyways? You haven't talked much about it."

"It's alright, I guess. I've met a couple cool people. Not as cool as you of course, but cool none the less." She stuck her tongue out, smiling impishly. "In fact I have a date this weekend."

Outside, in the Real world, Kouichi spat his soda out.

"A _WHAT_!?"

"A date. You know. Date. D-A-T-E. Date. Where a guy and a girl, or sometimes a guy and a guy or a girl and girl, get together to go out to dinner and generally a movie. You know. A date!"

"With _who_!?"

"Um… A guy… That I met… In school… Kouichi, are you okay? It sounds like your choking…"

"Ch-Choked on my soda," he coughed, shaking his head before staring at Izumi in shock. "Who is this guy? How old is he? Has he ever been to jail? Do you like him?"

"His name, for your information, is Touma Norstein. He's really smart. In fact, I heard they offered to let him graduate from high school when he was a _freshman,_ but he turned them down. He's an exchange student like me, except he's from Austria... But his mother was Japanese and he lived in Japan for a while. So I have someone to talk to so I don't get rusty. Um… He's our age, maybe a couple months older then you. I don't think he's ever been to jail... And I _really_ do like him Kouichi! I really do!"

For a moment all he could do was stare at her, before finally looking away with a 'hmph'. This caused Izumi to release her own small, annoyed huff. "What?"

"Nothing. You found yourself a real smart guy." Kouichi stood up simply, turning his back to her, beginning to walk away. "I have to go do homework. I'll see you later."

"Oh Kouichi! C'mon, don't be like that!" Her shout reached his ears but he chose to ignore it, continuing to walk away. He didn't really have any homework. He had done it all before logging in. But he feared that if he stayed with her any longer he was going to say something he would regret later.

It wasn't that he liked Izumi. At least he thought that. So why was he jealous? He should be happy for her. Not jealous… Then why was he jealous!? He didn't like Izumi! She was like his sister! If he liked her then… Would that make it some sort of incest?

Deciding to stop and bang his head against the wall, both in _The Digital World_ and in the Real World, Kouichi groaned.

He liked her. He liked Izumi Orimoto. His best friend since kindergarten. The girl who had crawled into the closet during nap time to untie his boots, because he couldn't do it himself and the teacher would not let him come out until he had taken them off.

He loved his best friend.

He wanted to scream.

"You okay there Lowe?" Snapping out of his ranting thoughts he spun around, to see none other than an amused Blitz standing behind him. Looking away from the elder man, Kouichi crossed his arms over his chest, with another indignant 'hmph'.

"I'm fine."

"Then what was with the bashing of your head?"

"… I was confused with a math problem."

"You're doing homework while playing?" Blitz whistled at this, tilting his head to one side. "Impressive."

"If you're looking for Izu- I mean Kaze, she's at the bridge." He had not meant to snap, but a snap came out nonetheless. Blitz could only stare at him, before raising his hands up in defense.

"Whoa. Chill. You two get into a fight or something?" Kouichi shifted, looking at the ground. It hadn't really been a fight. More like… His emotions getting the better of him, but he didn't want to go into details with Blitz. It was too embarrassing…

"We weren't fighting… Just… I got to go." He ran before Blitz could get another word in. He knew it was rude. He was well aware of that, but he couldn't help it. He really did not want to talk about his sudden realization. Maybe this crush was nothing. Maybe it would go away. He prayed it would. After all, he did not want to risk the friendship he had with Izumi over some silly crush. He kept running faster and faster, trying to outrun his fears and friends.

"Hey watch it!" Yelping he collided with another player, sending both toppling to the ground. Groaning, he rubbed his head, standing up with wide eyes and offering a hand to help to the other player up.

"I'm really sorry!"

"What the Hells your problem!?" The voice sounded familiar, though Kouichi could not place how. A lump began to form in his throat as he looked at the player he had hit. They were the same height, though the other player looked like he had much more muscles then Kouichi's character Lowe. Of course, Lowe wasn't very built in the first place. The player's face was tan, his hair orange with red streaks. Bright green eyes were narrowed at Kouichi, a scowl on his face signifying that he was in trouble. A metallic red vest hung over his bare chest, tribal-like markings covering his abdomen, as well as his arms. His hands were bandaged, the white tattered wraps going up to his elbows. He had on rather simple black pants, silver kneepads placed over them. The man stood up, knocking away Kouichi's offered hand and proceeded in grabbing the Lancer by the front of his jacket, slamming him into a nearby shop wall. His fist raised, orange data sparking around it.

And as quickly as he had been grabbed he was dropped. A growl escaped the man as someone grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him away from Kouichi.

"Attacking people inside a town is against the rules. You should know that." Kouichi turned his head at the voice. It was an older man, his hair bushy and spiked, a blue head band seeming to help it stay up. Circular goggles covered his eyes though an entertained look was on his face, it seemed almost permanent. The character's appearance was far more normal then any of the characters he had seen so far. He was decked in brown shorts and a blue t-shirt with yellow lining, matching yellow stars on the short sleeves. It even appeared the boy had sneakers on! The only thing slightly unusual about his outfit was the yellow cloak that wrapped around his shoulders, reaching down to his ankles; the bottom of it tattered and frayed. A sword was attached to his belt, the man's white gloved hand resting casually on it.

Kouichi looked up at his rescuer, before at the man that had attacked him. The man in question shot him a small glare before walking away, shoving past the spiked-haired man. The brunet laughed a little at that, before looking around at the small crowd of onlookers that had formed. "Nothing to see here folks, now move along."

They obeyed almost immediately, leaving Kouichi to stand there perplexed. He could hear some whispering to one another, looking at the new man with some type of awe. Kouichi half wondered if it was another admin, but he didn't seem like the admin type. Then again, Kouichi had only encountered two admins, who both had drastically different personalities. Still, he couldn't help but wonder just who this man was.

Grinning at him, the man offered his hand to Kouichi, who took a moment to register what was happening. After processing everything that had just occurred, he took the hand with his own, smiling sheepishly. "I'm Lowe… Thank you very much."

"Ah it's no problem. Name's Zero. Where were you running off too in such a hurry?" Blinking at Zero he lowered his hand, nervously toying with his sleeve.

"Just… Um… The Digi'Port! I just learned a good field to practice in, so I wanted to um… Get there before I forgot!" He recalled when Izumi had first told him this, when he had first entered _The Digital World_. When the only reason he had joined was to talk to her…

But who knows what was going to happen now. If this Touma guy became her boyfriend… Then she would probably convince him to join, if he hadn't already. And then she would spend all her time with him most likely. She would forget about him…

No, Izumi would not do that. No matter what, she would never just ditch him completely. At least Kouichi hoped she wouldn't, but how did he know for sure…

"Yo, Digital World to Lowe, you there?" He snapped out of it as a white-gloved hand waved in front of his face. Blinking, he looked at Zero whose eyebrow was quirked up curiously.

"Oh um… Sorry…" He smiled sheepishly beneath the black mask, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I should go it was nice talking to you Zero. And thanks again."

"No problem, stay out of trouble, okay?"

"I'll try. Bye," Kouichi smiled, giving a small wave as he turned to rush off in the direction of the Digi'Port, this time being careful to not to run into anyone. He did not want to repeat that incident. After a minute of rushing he slowed to a halt with a sudden realization. He had absolutely no clue where he was going. Generally Izumi, Flare or Blitz would come up with their destinations, not him. Sighing for the billionth time that day he looked down at his shoes. Maybe he should just log out for the day…

But no one was home. His Mother was out at work, and his Grandmother was out shopping. He had done all his homework, and it was not like there was anything he could do in his house. He really needed to go to the book store or library. With an annoyed puff of air he ran a hand through his hair, walking towards the Digi'Port. He paused outside it before timidly raising his staff, mumbling the only field he really knew. "Digi'Port Open. Field of Light."

Everything became distorted as he was transported to the field. When it had all cleared, he was standing in the field of flowers. It seemed that he was the only one; he couldn't even see any digimon. Stretching lazily he began to walk through the field, smiling a little as he took a deep, calming breath.

There was a part of him wondering if he should have gone to a more exciting field, but there was a larger part of him that didn't like the idea of going to some field without a party. And he was still far too timid to approach other players to make a party, like Flare had done with him when they had first met. He gazed up at the sky, continuing to walk along the field. He really should return to File Island. He knew he had to apologize to Izumi for rushing off like that. It had been rude… And yet, doing that was the _last_ thing he wanted to do at the moment. Pausing in his pace he allowed his eyes to slip shut for a moment, a soft breeze blowing against him. A smile formed across his face as he opened his eyes, continuing his walk. It was then that something caught his eye. Blinking curiously he saw a distant meadow. Cocking his head to one side. he walked towards this meadow that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. It seemed so out of place amongst the flowers, and yet at the same time fit in perfectly. Pushing past the branches and bushes Kouichi could not help but stop and stare at the center clearing in awe. The meadow's bushy foliage had opened up, revealing a small glittering pond, sunlight spilling down past the leaves. He entered the clearing, eyes wide, looking at the crystal clear water with sheer amazement.

Movement suddenly caught his attention, causing his eyes to dart to the side, followed by his head, the action causing his neck give a small, painful crack. Slowly, his staff rose in a defensive manner, and Lowe's red eyes narrowed as he looked around the area. Quickly, every one of his muscles tensed. Memories of his last encounter in the Field of Light played through his mind all too clearly. Last time he had been in this area he and Izumi had been attacked by a Devimon. A glitch had occurred in the game and they had nearly been killed. To top it all off, the glitch had made it so they were unable to warp out and back to the safety of File Island. If this was the case, and he was again going to be attacked by another glitch...

Red eyes darted around as he waited for an enemy. Movement once again caught his attention and slowly, very slowly, he crept towards a tree in an attempt to get the upper hand, just _in case_ it was an enemy. However, before he could even attack, or even defend, a hot beam of what seemed like pure light hit him in square in the chest. Kouichi cried out as the force sent him flying straight into the water. Eyes widened as he became submerged, quickly making futile attempts to surface. But he never learned how to swim, in both _The Digital World_ and the Real World. His eyes remained wide as the panic set in. He could feel his lungs begin to burn in hunger for air. His hands reached out towards the surface as he continued to struggle, though the efforts did little. If anything, he was only sinking deeper and deeper. Bubbles exploded from his mouth as the world began to dim. Everything was becoming darker as he felt his eyes slip shut, his efforts halting. He could feel his body slowly begin to sink. Further and further into the cold abyss like a rag doll.

A strong hand grabbed hold of his wrist before he felt himself pulled upwards. He was propelled to the surface coughing up water as an arm wrapped around his waist. Coughing still, he managed to open his eyes, though everything was blurry. Wet, blonde bangs hung in his eyes, further impeding his vision. He was pulled to shore, where he managed to get on his hands and knees to cough up more water. His rescuer sat beside him, rubbing his back, though the action seemed hesitant. With one last hacking cough he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, slowly turning his head at the man who had saved him.

"You have a habit of getting into trouble," Lobo scowled at him, shaking out his damp hair as if he was a dog. "You should know better than to sneak up on people, I thought you were some enemy digimon or something."

"I thought _you_ were some enemy." Kouichi shot back as he frowned slightly, sitting on the bank cross-legged. Lobo snorted at this, looking at him with those unnerving crimson eyes. Kouichi felt his courage suddenly fading beneath the gaze, shifting uneasily as he tried to wring out the bottom of his coat. Lobo continued to stare at him, almost unblinking, before he finally spoke up, making Kouichi jump out of surprise (and maybe a little fear).

"What are you doing here Lowe?"

"I-I just… I mean I came to the field and then I saw this meadow and I was… I was curious… Am I not allowed here Lobo-san..?" The admin looked at him for a moment before sighing as he returned his attention to the water. He said nothing, and Kouichi couldn't help but stare slightly at the normally strict, rule-abiding admin. He looked like some of the newer players Izumi or Blitz would point out. His armor was missing, a simple white shirt clinging to him (thanks to the water). His weapons even seemed to be missing, though Kouichi spotted them a second later propped up besides one of the trees. His attention returned to Lobo, nervously waiting for his answer. Was this a forbidden area? Had Kouichi, inadvertently, broken a role? The strict-admin remained quiet, lazily dipping his bare feet into the surprisingly deep pond.

"This is my secret spot," began the admin as he tucked wet hair behind his ear. "No one ever comes here, except a couple digimon once and awhile. But no players."

"Oh. I'm sorry… I can go if you want…" He made a move to stand with eyes wide at the realization that he was intruding. Lobo just waved his hand simply.

"No, it's fine. Stay if you want. Just don't tell anyone. Got it?" One eye opened to look sharply at Kouichi. He could feel himself almost shrinking under the look. Uncomfortably, he shifted in his spot, glancing at the other before back at his hands.

"Um… Thanks… For saving me, again."

"Where's your fairy-friend? Generally you're conjoined at the hip."

"I could ask the same thing, where's Hikari-san?" Lobo opened both his eyes this time before giving a shrug. And that was the only response Kouichi got as they fell back into silence. Part of him was shouting that he should leave, but the other part of him feared Lobo would see that action as rude. He feared angering the admin; after all, the last thing anyone wanted was an angry admin. He could get banned! And if he was banned, he couldn't talk to Izumi as regularly!

Repressing a small sigh he glanced once again at Lobo from the corner of his eye. The admin's gaze was forward, looking out at the pond, his feet swinging back and forth in the water. The silence continued to stretch between them. Kouichi shifting slightly before he stood. He could feel red eyes on his back as he bent down to pick up rocks from the bank. Quietly, he sorted through the rocks before choosing a smooth, gleaming red one. Tossing it in his hand for a moment, he stared out at the pond, before skipping the chosen rock across the crystal clear water. Nervously, he continued to sort through the rocks he had grabbed, picking out the smooth ones, before skipping them across the pond. It was something his mother had taught him when he was younger. It was calming to him, and at the moment, was a great help in quelling his nerves.

When he had run out of smooth rocks he bent down to collect more, but stopped when he heard movement. Lifting his gaze, he saw Lobo grabbing some rocks, mimicking what Kouichi had just done. He attempted to skip one across the pond, but it sunk on impact. Scowling, he tried again, the result the same as the first attempt. Kouichi continued to watch the admin's failed attempts in curiosity before he picked up another smooth stone.

"You're throwing it wrong Lobo-san…" The other's head turned quickly, mouth open to snap at him but Kouichi cut him off. "I-I can show you if you, um… If you'd like…"

For a moment Lobo seemed to consider it before chucking the remaining rocks he had into the water. Ripples skimmed across the surface of the pond and a silence appeared again, the tension becoming thicker and thicker. Sharp red eyes turned on Kouichi, who took a step back out of instinct. A harsh wind blew, leaves falling off their branches, swirling around them. Again Kouichi stepped back, a lump forming in his throat. He had inadvertently angered the admin. "I-I should… I should go. I-I'm re-really sorry for intruding on your private spo-spot. Goodbye Lobo-san."

He bowed quickly before retreating quickly through the brush before Lobo could even respond; logging out the second he had cleared the brush of the trees.

-

Days passed by and Kouichi remained logged out of _The Digital World_. It was for multiple reasons. One was that he didn't want to see Izumi, fearing he would say something stupid. Another reason would be Lobo. And the final reason would be, quite simply, that he had a research paper to write on top of the rest of his workload.

Now it was late Saturday afternoon, and Kouichi found himself lying on his families' sofa, a book propped up in front of him. Lazily he turned on the pages, until a soft cry caught his attention. Frowning he rose to his feet, entering the small kitchen of their apartment. "What's wrong Grandma?"

"Oh I just forgot to buy milk while I was out… And I need milk to finish dinner…" The old women responded, looking up from the fridge, her gray hair pulled up into a bun.

"I can go get it for you," he offered, mentally sighing in relief that it hadn't been anything serious. His Grandmother was about to say something but it was replaced by a hacking cough. Kouichi looked at her, his eyes widening worriedly. The cough subsided though, the women sighing softly, smiling back at Kouichi and tucking her handkerchief into her dress pocket.

"That would be lovely, Kouichi dear. Would you mind getting cough medicine as well? This darn cough…"

"You should see a doctor about that cough, Grandma…"

"Oh it's just a tiny cough, it will go away in due time." She smiled, reaching into her apron pocket, pulling out some yen and handing it to him. "Now, go on and get the milk and cough medicine. Be safe, alright?"

"I will Grandma." He glanced at her before pocketing the yen and exiting the kitchen. He slipped his shoes on quietly, opening the door and walking down the hall that led to the staircase. Running a hand through his messy hair he took the steps at a normal pace. When he reached the bottom floor of his apartment complex he turned, slipping his hands into his pocket as he began his walk down the street. Other neighborhood boys were playing a baseball game, and Kouichi watched with mild curiosity for a minute or so before continuing his trek down the street. His Grandmother's cough echoed in his mind all the while. A frown formed on his lips, growing deeper and deeper as the cough continued to echo. She had had it for nearly two months now and it only seemed to be getting worse. As much as he wished it, she would never go to the doctors; she would never want to burden her family. She didn't seem realize that she would never burden them. After all, for as long as Kouichi could remember, she had been helping his Mother, and had helped take care of him. He crossed the street with small sigh. There was always his Mother, he reminded himself. He could tell her about how horrible the cough was becoming, even though he was sure she already knew. It wasn't hard to miss. Maybe she would have better luck then he had had…

He reached the store within minutes, a little bell signifying his entry. One of his classmates was sitting behind the counter. Lazily, she looked up from her magazine at his entrance, a red beret resting on her lavender colored hair. It was the same girl he had seen discussing the fight at the beginning of the week. She gave a friendly wave to him, which he returned with a small smile. He walked down the aisles in silence, eyes glancing at the different products that lined the shelves. He picked out a cold medicine for his Grandmother with a small frown, hoping it would help her feel better. Next, he walked down to the refrigerators that lined the back of the small mini-mart, opening one of the doors and grabbing a carton of milk. He carried the two purchases to the front of the shop, setting them down on the counter besides the cash register. The lavender haired girl put her magazine down, yawning slightly as she rung him up. Slipping his hand into his pocket, he pulled out the amount of yen he owed, handing it to her as she passed him a plastic shopping bag. "Did we have any English homework?"

"Um, I think page fourteen in the workbook," Kouichi replied, taking the brown paper bag from her. "I'm not sure though…"

"Well then I'll just play it safe and do that page. Thanks Kouichi-kun!"

"Your welcome Miyako-chan," he smiled at her before bowing a goodbye. He hesitated at the door, frowning for a moment. Miyako was Izumi's friend, somewhat… And she was a girl. Maybe he could ask her for advice? But what if she went and told Izumi that he had a crush on her? That would only make things worse! Sighing, he shook his head before opening the door, the bell jingling again as he exited the mini-mart.

Winds blew against him as he walked back to his apartment complex. He paused at the corner to gaze up at the sky. Dark clouds were approaching, meaning a storm was coming. Quickening his steps, he reached the steps of the apartment, taking them two at a time. He reached his apartment door in moments, the familiar nameplate 'Kimura' hanging beside the wooden door. Smiling slightly at it, he opened the door, slipping his shoes off. "I'm home!"

"Welcome home dear. Did you get the milk?"

"Of course I got the milk," he smiled, carrying the bag to the kitchen where he found his Grandmother still cooking. "And I got you some cough medicine… I hope it works."

She smiled at him gently, patting the side of his face. "You are such a good boy Kouichi." She took the milk from him as she continued cooking. "Have you heard from Izumi?"

"Yeah…"

"How does she like Italy?"

"She likes it a lot. She really likes her school too, from what she told me." He opened the fridge, taking a bottle of ramune out of it and popping it open.

"Well next time you talk to her let her know I miss her."

"I will, Grandma." He smiled a little, taking a sip of the soda. "Can I help at all?"

She laughed at his offer, turning around to face him. She gestured with the ladle she had in her hand, her free hand on her hip. "Oh no! If I let you in this kitchen and near that stove you'll burn the apartment down!"

"I'm not _that_ bad at cooking…" She gave him a look, Kouichi looking away, taking another sip, embarrassed. He heard her laugh.

"You go on and relax. Dinner will be finished in about an hour." She looked at him, smiling gently. "And your Mother will be home in a half an hour, she called while you were out."

"I thought tonight was her late night," he blinked, sipping his drink as he tried to peek at what she was making.

"She managed to switch with someone. Now go on and occupy yourself."

"Are you sure I can't help, Grandma?"

"I'll call you when it's time to set the table. Now go on," she shooed him out of the kitchen, despite his protests. Shaking his head with a small laugh, he picked up his forgotten book, heading down the hallway to his room. He had about an hour to kill, it seemed. And he was nearly done with his book, and all his homework was finished… His eyes drifted to his computer, before hesitantly picking up the visor for _The Digital World_. He hadn't played it since earlier that week, Tuesday. The day where he had run away from Izumi, since he had met that player named Zero, since he'd had that awkward conversation with Lobo.

With a deep breath, he placed the visor over his eyes, turned on the game and logged in.

The streets of File Island materialized in front of him. He smiled a little; he had missed the little virtual town. A sudden 'bing' caught his attention. Blinking, he looked up towards a little mail icon that had appeared above his head. Walking towards a non-crowded area near the river, he sat down, reaching out as a screen appeared in front of him. Quietly, he began to check his messages; there were four new ones. He really didn't need to look at the name to know who they were from. After all, he only knew a few people in _The Digital World_.

Picking out the oldest of the four he watched as an image of Izumi's avatar appeared in the corner of the screen, followed immediately by her message:

_Subject: I'm sorry_

_Oh Kouichi I'm so sorry. If I had known that me going on a date would upset you I would have waited to tell you. I mean… I would've waited until I knew if it would be leading to anything. I don't get why it upset you so much but I'm REALLY sorry. I'd try calling you but I'm afraid if I did I'd wake you up or something. I still haven't managed to get the whole time-zone and stuff down. Please reply back, just so I know you're still alive…_

_From, Izumi_

Shaking his head slightly, he felt a small smile form as he reread the message. After the second time, he reached out, pressing the reply button. His hands glided in midair, the keys appearing beneath his fingers as he responded:

_Subject: RE: I'm sorry_

_Izumi, it's okay. I got upset over nothing really. I didn't mean to make you worry or anything. I had a paper to do, that's why I haven't been online. It wasn't your fault. Don't worry okay? I'll talk to you soon._

_From, Kouichi_

He clicked 'send', another 'bing' sounding as the message sent. Turning his attention to the next message he couldn't help but roll his eyes when he saw the avatar in the corner. But then again he had been expecting this one:

_Subject: WHERE ARE YOU!?_

_Lowe dude did you die or something!? Where have you BEEN!? I wanted you to meet my friend! And there's a ton of fields I wanted to check out but you're the only one CRAZY enough to go to them with me. I mean, Blitz said he would but he also said I'm nuts for wanting to go to them. And Kaze's been picking on me cause she's older! Anyway, come back soooon! We miss you!_

_Flare_

He smiled softly at it, quickly sending a reply to assure Flare that they would check out one of the levels this weekend. He hoped that would subdue the hyper-child. He clicked on the other one, though blinked at the message. His eyebrow quirking up when he saw the annoyed image of Lobo's avatar in the corner:

_Subject: (untitled)_

_Lowe, I'm sorry if I scared you. Hikari says I can be a bit intimidating… I didn't mean to… Look, I just… I got pissed off at the stupid rocks so um… I don't even know why I'm doing this… Not like I care… And not that you should… Just… Oh forget it! Look if you WANT, and only if you WANT you can go to that meadow. But you tell anyone, even that little fairy friend of yours, and I'll… Well I donno what I'll do but… I didn't mean to scare you… _

_Bye, Lobo_

Somewhere in that message of gibberish, Kouichi was sure was an apology of sorts. Smiling, he shook his head slightly wondering whether or not he should reply. He opted not too; after all he was sure he would see the admin again. And when he did he would make a comment about the message or perhaps he would just remain quiet about it. There was a chance Lobo just didn't want to mention it. He clicked on the final message, his head tilting to the side at the username. It was no one he knew. Why would a stranger message him? His eyes looked towards the small box that generally had an image of the avatar of the user. But only static was in the box, causing him further confusion. Interested, he began to read the short message:

_Subject: (untitled)_

_You who lives within the Darkness. Rise up to awaken the one who sleeps. Join with the forces that guide this World and save it from the virus that lurks deep within._

He frowned slightly looking at the address. Fanglongmon… He had never heard the name before, and yet it sounded oddly familiar. But Kouichi could not place how. Pressing the reply button an error appeared on the screen. He stared at the screen and blinked, his mind growing more and more confused. Slowly, he exited out, rising to his feet and walking along the river bank towards the bridge where he would so often sit with Izumi. But she was nowhere to be seen, it was only understandable though. It was Saturday morning still in Italy (at least he thought it was, but like Izumi he had a hard time with time-zones). Even still, she was probably busy getting ready for her date with that Touma guy…

As jealous as he was… He did hope that she would have a good time.

Still what was he suppose to do now? No one else seemed to be around either, though he couldn't blame them. They were all probably off doing something, most likely with their friends in the Real World… The frown deepened as his mind wandered back to the ominous message. What had it been about? Awaken who? And what virus? Did they mean the vicious angel that had put players into comas? But hadn't that thing been defeated by Fervor of the Rising Sun and Licht of the Rising Moon? This had to be some elaborate prank. That was it; it was just a prank someone decided to pull on him. But still, he couldn't shake the feeling that it meant more than that. He shook his head in a useless attempt to ignore that nagging feeling and he tried his best to think of something else. It was easy though, seeing as moments later he was tackled to the ground.

"Lowe!" Flare's voice echoed in his ear, forcing a tiny wince. The younger boy was sitting right on his back, his arms wrapped happily around Kouichi's neck. It caused him to laugh, wondering for the billionth time since they had met just how old Flare was outside the game. His guess was around eight to ten. "I knew I'd find you here when you replied!"

"Don't you ever log off, Flare?" Kouichi questioned, glancing over his shoulder at the boy who only laughed.

"Well, of course. But there's not much to do right now. Technically I'm grounded… But shh my parents don't know I'm on!" Flare gave a cat-like smile, continuing to hug Kouichi even as he stood up. As he walked he continued to carry Flare on his back in some strange form of a piggyback ride.

"You shouldn't lie to your parents, you know."

"Lying is such a harsh word," came the simple remark as they reached the bridge that was their little group's meeting place. "I'd call it… Going behind their back when they aren't checking on me."

"Because that is so much better." The two laughed as Flare hopped off Kouichi's back, landing on the railing of the bridge. "Be careful Flare."

"I will _Mom_." Kouichi rolled his eyes, continuing to smile. He turned his head when he heard someone shout his name. Blitz waved, running towards them enthusiastically. Smiling behind his face mask, Kouichi returned the wave, the elder player stopping beside him. He braced himself as Blitz delivered one of his good-natured, but harsh, pats on the back; Kouichi nearly falling over as a result, as usual.

"Lowe! Been a while, you and Kaze set things straight?"

"We weren't fighting, Blitz," the two players stared at him, forcing an irritable sigh to escape him. "… Yes. We worked everything out."

His mind trailed back to the message. Frowning again, he jumped up onto the railing, taking a moment to balance before contently sitting. He brushed bangs out of his eyes, looking from Flare to Blitz before speaking. "Did you guys get any weird messages lately..?"

"Eh? Nope not me!" Flare announced his arms spread out to help him keep his balance as he walked along the railing, reminding Kouichi so much of a little boy. Blitz meanwhile just shook his head.

"I haven't gotten any strange messages either. Why?"

"Oh… No reason…" Blitz was about to say something, but Kouichi was quick to cut him off. "So who's this friend you wanted me to meet, Flare?"

"Oh! I wanted you to meet Zero!" Kouichi blinked, mouthing the name to himself before recalling the man in the tattered cloak who had saved him from getting punched that crazy day. He opened his mouth to remark but Blitz was quick to cut him off this time, a shocked look on his face.

"Zero as in Zero of Courage?" Flare grinned happily as he nodded his hands behind his head.

"The one and only!"

"How do you know _the_ Zero of Courage?"

Flare blinked at this before shrugging, forcing Blitz to slap his forehead. Smiling impishly, the younger player jumped off the railing and onto the bridge. Kouichi looked at the two a bit confused. Zero of Courage? Who was that? Was it the same Zero he had met? Shifting uncomfortable, he spoke up, toying with his sleeve. "Zero of Courage..?"

Two sets of eyes landed on him, forcing him to shift more uncomfortably then before. Blitz broke the small bit of tension by laughing, shaking his head and crossing his arms over his chest. "I forget you're a newbie sometimes, Lowe."

"That doesn't answer my question…" Blitz laughed a little. An annoyed scowl formed beneath his mask as he awaiting a real answer, giving the elder player a look of impatience.

"There was an event early on in _The Digital World_; it was pretty much this impossible level, so to speak. Only eight people were known to have beaten it before the higher ups shut it down. Zero of Courage was the one of them. Each of the eight people that beat the event were given these titles based off an attribute the ones in charge saw stood out the most in the player. Like Zero is apparently this really brave guy, at least from what I hear."

"All of them are _really_ well known in _The Digital World_. Even though the event happened in the original version. They're like… The elite of the elite!" Flare chimed in, his grin never fading. Kouichi nodded as he took all this in, his head tilting to one side.

"Kind of like Fervor and Licht?"

"In a way, I guess."

"Hey Blitz… You played the first version right? Did you ever meet Fervor and Licht?" Blitz frowned for a bit, the wind blowing against the three.

"Once… I ran into a player named Fervor, I think. Was a real hot-head. And I heard of the two investigating while I was playing… But I never really met the two. Plus, when all those players started falling into comas my Mom made me stop playing." He shrugged a bit, looking at the two younger players with a frown on his face. "Why?"

"I was just curious…" They all fell into a silence. Kouichi frowned, looking down at his hands. So they weren't myths like some of the other users claimed. But had they really done all that Flare had said they had done? Did they really beat a virus that had put people into comas? How could a virus even put people into comas? His mind wandered back to the message. Did it have something to do with that same virus? With Fervor and Licht? He wondered if he should show the message to the other two, but he was hesitant. Maybe he was looking far too into all of this. He lifted his head, ready to mention the message when his Grandmother voice fluttered in from the Real World. He turned his head in the direction of his voice before looking at the others sheepishly.

"I got to go; my Grandma's calling me for dinner. I'll see you guys later."

"You're leaving?" Flare pouted, looking up at Kouichi who gave a sheepish laugh.

"You're leaving me with _him_?" Blitz stared at Kouichi then down at the pouting player then back. Kouichi gave another laugh, grinning a little.

"I'll log back in later. Promise. See you guys later!"

The game faded from his view as he logged out. Quietly, he pulled the visor off his eyes, turning his head to the window. Rain pelted the glass as the storm raged outside. Frowning, he set the visor down, standing up as he approached the window. Blue eyes gazed out the window into the storm quietly before he turned to exit his bed room, the frown remaining on his lips.

A storm was raging outside, the wind howling against his apartment. And just like outside, Kouichi was sure a storm was brewing within _The Digital World_.

And somehow or another he had wound up in the middle of it….

(-)(-)(-)

**Alright folks! Let's all thank Evide again for making this chapter all awesome. No seriously, I owe her majorly xD That class room fight she basically rewrote, cause before it was way too confusing. And I also discovered (inadvertently) there is a difference between brunet and brunette xD. But yes. Thank you again Evide!**

**Also! New characters have appeared. I know its most likely obvious who Zero is, but can anyone guess who it was that tried to bunch Ichi?**

**One more thing!**

**For those who were curious about romance. Well there actually isn't much as of now. Except this interesting Izumi/Touma relationship that just kinda… Happened… I don't even know how it happened oO I honestly don't. I am terribly surprised by it oO. Especially since I love Kouichi/Izumi (for some reason)… Which also explain how Kouichi ended up having a cute crush on her. But right! As of now, Izumi/Touma is the only romance/couple. :3 I'm open to hearing what couples everyone wants though! And if it fits it might occur~**

**I hope you all are have lovely times! Happy belated 2009 btw! Feel free to leave a review~ I don't bite!**


	4. LOGIN 004

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

**LOGIN_004**

_The Digital World_, the most popular MMORPG game ever. Every person knew about it, and of the controversy that had followed the game when it was first launched – players were falling into comas. Gennai Inc., the company that had created _The Digital World_, never made an official statement of what had been the cause, but many players had said it was a vicious angel that had deleted players. Among the players of the first _Digital World_ there were two that, according to veterans, had taken a stand against the vicious angel and defeated it just as_ The Digital World_ itself shut down. Their names had become infamous amongst players, new and old.

Fervor of the Rising Sun and Licht of the Rising Moon they were called. But were they real? Or were they just a myth?

-

Mornings were always the most peaceful time within _The Digital World_. At least that's what he had come to notice. Flare stretched languidly as he walked along the bridge where he would often meet the others, a large smile on his face. With a large, cat-like yawn, he ran a hand through his bushy hair, walking into one of the shops. He had used up the last of his Potions and Antidotes in one of the group's most recent adventures, meaning he needed to stock up again before he went off on another day of adventures. Curiously, the Swordsman stopped in one of the weapon shops, checking to see if there were any new items he could upgrade with. He didn't see anything that caught his interest though, so he left the store empty handed. Briefly, his blue eyes slipped shut. The area wasn't crowded, so he had no fear in bumping into anyone. But then again, that never stopped him from walking around File Island with his eyes shut, crowded or not.

A soft breeze blew against him, causing him to pause in his steps. Inhaling deeply, Flare allowed his eyes to open and a smile formed across his face; it was good to see _The Digital World _in such peace.

With a shake of his head Flare began to walk again. He raised his arms, allowing them to rest behind his head. Blue eyes scanned the area, a small pout crossing his features. No one was on. He remembered Lowe had said something about taking his Grandmother to the doctors today, so he probably would not be on until later. Kaze had homework, and was in Italy. Meaning he had no clue if or when she'd be on. He'd have to ask Lowe when the Lancer got on. And Blitz had mentioned his part-time job…

So much for an eventful day. Releasing a small, annoyed breath, he sat on the river's bank, staring at the flowing water in front of him. The pout remained on his face which was propped up by his hands. Aside from Zero, those three were the only real friends he had in _The Digital World_. Well, at least this version. In the first version of _The Digital World_ he had had other friends, but after the game had been shut down, he had been unable to find any of them. It was his own fault though for not exchanging email addresses with them, or that is to say, email addresses outside the game. Flare had even neglected getting contact information from his best friend. It had just never occurred to him while playing.

He gazed quietly down at the reflection of the young character he had designed. The Swordsman could not help but wonder how they were all doing now. Were they still in _The Digital World_? Or had they moved on to other things? Finally, he tore his gaze away from the water, looking at the other players that wandered the world, co-existing happily with the digimon. Finally his pout vanished, his grin returning, all the heavy thoughts that had been running through his mind vanishing almost immediately. With a nod to himself, Flare bounced up to his feet, beginning to walk towards the Digi'Port. It couldn't hurt to see what was going on over there; and he could always use some training to level up. Plus, it would keep his mind off other things. Humming a soft tune, he reached the normally busy area, only to find a handful of players sitting around immersed in a conversation. He received a few looks from the other early-morning players, returning them with his normally wide grin. Some of the players he knew were from different countries, visiting the Japanese server just like Kaze. It wasn't uncommon though. In the first version of _The Digital World_ he had known multiple players who were from different countries. They would all just enjoy logging onto the Japanese server often. In fact, his best friend had commented that he lived in Germany, before they had met. But he had commented that even then he would always log onto the Japanese server, because he had other friends that still lived in Japan.

Flare just continued to smile, stretching his arms above his head as he gazed up at the glowing Digi'Port. Only during the morning was the area so uncrowded. It was nice though. He lowered his arms to his side, gazing up at the glowing orb, at the rings that circled it constantly. The Swordsman kept smiling, idly thinking of where he could go. He defiantly did not want to go to a newbie field like the Field of Light. But then again, he did not feel like going anywhere insanely hard by himself, like Infinity Mountain. After a few minutes of thought, a field came to mind, the grin widening as he drew his sword.

"Digi'Port Open! Snow Peak Island!"

File Island faded from his view, snowy mountains replacing it and a chilled wind shot through him almost immediately. With chattering teeth, Flare opened his inventory as quickly as he could, retrieving a warm jacket he had stored in it. With utmost care he set his sword down, before slipping the harness for it off. Quickly, Flare pulled the jacket on, zipping it up to fight off the bone-chilling cold. For a moment or two he struggled with his sword, before putting it properly in its harness and on his back. Taking stock of the snowy area he saw no enemy digimon, at least not yet. As he began to walk through the snow Flare kept himself from groaning. He really wished he had bought some boots too. Snow blew in his face from another harsh gust of wind, causing him to squint. It was definitely a good field to go to though; he had heard there were a lot of challenges in the area, but at the same time, it wasn't too challenging that he'd get a Game Over right away. Hiking up the mountain, he kept his eyes peeled for any digimon, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword.

The area itself though, was beautiful to say the least. Again, Flare had to remind himself that _The Digital World_ was merely a game…

The white snow crunched beneath his bare feet. The sky itself was clear however, the sun beaming down at him.

"Frozen Claw!" Yelping, he narrowly avoided a swift attack from hitting his side, eyes darting around to the pack of IceDevimon that stood on a ledge above him. He leapt back, away from another attack, drawing his broadsword. Large, fiery blue eyes narrowed sharply as he gauged at the amount of IceDevimon he was up against, it was at least four or maybe more. Flare's grin never faltered, adrenaline beginning to course through his veins. He took a battle-ready stance, looking up at the enemies that began to circle in the air above him. Focusing intently, he felt fire spark around him, before he leapt forward.

-

He stared blankly up at the white ceiling of his bedroom, a hand rising sleepily to rub his eyes as he slowly sat up. With a yawn, he checked the digital clock that rested on his bedside table, a bright number 7 staring back at him. He stared at the clock for another moment, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, before around his room dully.

Posters of bands lined the walls, along with Polaroid snapshots of himself and a brunette girl. Bookshelves lined another wall, an assortment of novels, mangas, comics, and various other things. The curtains were drawn shut, light peeking in through the edges, giving an eerie glow to the room. He paid it no mind though, reaching a pale hand out and grabbing the arm of the wheel chair that sat beside his bed. Pulling himself into it, he wheeled himself over to a nearby oak desk, flipping the desk lamp on before his computer. It brightened the room, though not by much. He didn't really care though. Again he yawned, stretching his arms above his head before dropping them to his side. Something soft butted against his limp hand. He looked down quietly, smiling ever so slightly at the tiny German Shepherd puppy that sat by his chair.

"You're up awfully early Zefie," he reached over his chair, scratching her behind her ears. The little puppy barked, licking his hand happily. "Go on and get some breakfast girl, we'll play later."

He heard the dog whine a bit sadly, nudging his hand one more time, before trotting out of the room. Smiling as he watched the little pup leave, before turning his attention back to his computer loaded. He clicked on the icon for _The Digital World_. Picking up the visor, he slipped it over his eyes, before he logged in; the image of File Island materializing before his eyes seconds later.

It was still early morning, on the weekend, meaning not many of the users on this server were logged in, many still sound asleep. Generally he would still be asleep as well, but today he'd woken up early, and couldn't get back to sleep; which was not good, considering he had gone to bed at 5 AM that morning. Shaking his head ever so slightly, he walked past the Digi'Port, idly watching the few players that were on just milling around. With lazy eyes he watched as one swordsman left for Snow Peak Island, a smile quirking across his generally apathetic face, the memories that field held swimming to the surface of his mind. Quietly, he continued to walk along the town's cobbled roads, briefly he pausing at a bridge. A fond smile worked its way across his otherwise emotionless face; so many memories ran through his mind, thinking about the fateful day when they had first met…

He shook his head with a sigh, crossing the bridge, his eyes trained ahead. Had it really been so long ago? It seemed like only yesterday…

He wondered just how _he_ was doing…

-

Flare sneezed, shivering despite the warm coat wrapped comfortably. The frigid wind cut through the fabric, chilling Flare to the bone. Wide blue eyes looked at the snowing terrain, a small, annoyed frown on his face. He had been leveling up for nearly two hours now, and he was already bored. Half of him wondered if the others had logged in yet, but it was doubtful. It was still way too early for most people. Frowning, the Swordsman continued to walk across the snow, his bare feet giving a huge protest. He really needed to buy boots next time he was in town, even if they didn't have good stats. He _needed_ boots.

Voices echoed in the wind, catching his attention. Flare quickened his pace curiously, getting on his hands and feet and running like a cat. He slipped as a patch of soft snow gave way beneath his hand. With a yelp Flare tumbled down, before catching his footing. He stood, waving his arms in the air as he regained his balance. At long last he came to the top of the slippery, snowy hill, peeking over the edge and down at the bottom, where there seemed to be some sort of commotion going on.

The commotion was coming from three players; two of which were towering over the third, smaller player. From the angle Flare was at, it looked like the younger player, who was curled up into a small ball, was crying... It was most likely a party-fight; at least he assumed that was what it was. After all, during his time in _The Digital World_, he had been in several disagreements with party members… Though he never had been in a fight so severe that one member would start crying... Flare continued to watch, straining his ears to hear the conversation, though it wasn't hard, considering one of the boys kept shouting, Flare assumed he was most likely the party 'leader'.

"Will you just get out of the way!? It's just a pile of data! Now move!"

"N-No!" The little boy shouted, hugging something close to his body. Flare blinked, before narrowing his eyes in an attempt to make out just what it was that the younger player was so intent on protecting, but all he could make out was a pink lump. It was a digimon, but he wasn't sure about which kind. It seemed that the party wanted to delete the digimon.

Well… They probably came here to level up, so Flare couldn't really argue with that logic… But why was this boy so intent to protect the digimon?

"I swear Kuma, if you don't move," the second party member shouted, drawing a dagger from his belt, holding it threateningly at the younger player, Kuma. "Now get out of the way!"

Kuma just shook his head. Flare stood up quickly, reacting before he even could register what he was doing. He drew his sword in an instant, darting down from his place and standing in front of the little boy to block the other players' dagger. For nearly a minute the party was silent, the tension so thick that Flare was sure he could cut it with his sword. Then the dagger-wielder pulled away, a scowl forming across his face. "What the Hell do you think you're doing!? This isn't any of your business!"

"You're about to attack an innocent player just because he disagreed with you," Flare felt old memories tickling at the back of his mind as he straightened his posture, holding his sword out in a defensive manner. "I couldn't just stand back, could I?"

"Yes, you could, now get out of the way."

"Hell no." The dagger-wielding player responded to Flare's defiance with a growl, the leader having remained silent through the exchange, before he turned around simply.

"Fine." The one word caught the other party-member's attention. An eyebrow quirked up as the leader continued. "Have fun with your stupid little friend, Kuma. We'll see you tomorrow at school."

A grin formed across both of Kuma's party members and they snickered, warping out of the area. Frowning, Flare turned his attention to the little player, who had a look of horror painted across his face. He was dressed in an ice blue robe, with darker blue linings, a hood pulled up over his head, reminding Flare of an Eskimo hood, fluff framing the little boy's face. Dark blue pants tucked into his snow boots, his hands concealed in mittens. A staff topped with an ivory snowflake was lying nearby, gleaming in the game's artificial, morning sunlight. Kuma continued to clutch the small form in his arms, white-blue hair hanging into his frightful, wide green eyes. Flare realized that Kuma was shaking like a leaf, kneeling down quietly and tilting his head to one side as he reached out, placing a hand on the little boy's shoulder. "Hey… Calm down."

Kuma stiffened under the touch before scrambling back in fear. In response, Flare raised his hands defensively, blue eyes shooting wide. "Whoa, whoa, I'm not gonna hurt you. Look see? Putting my sword down. See?"

He set the broadsword down, a frown forming as he raised his hands to show the little boy he meant him no harm. Kuma still held a look of fear across bright eyes, clutching the little creature in his arms. "So… What do you have there? Kuma right? I'm Flare."

The younger boy was caught off-guard at his introduction, but Flare noted that he relaxed a little afterwards. Hesitantly, Kuma loosened his hold on the digimon in his arms, Flare finally getting a good look at it. It was a small, round digimon, with large, tearful red eyes; a baby Koromon… But what was it doing in this level? Let alone by itself. Tilting his head to the side Flare knelt down, pointing nonchalantly at the baby-digimon. "Where'd you find that little guy?"

"I-In the sn-snow," Kuma finally spoke up, looking down as he wiped the digimon's tears away with his mitten-clad hands. "H-He said… He was sep-separated from his Mama…"

Flare nodded in understanding as he looked at the little creature. It's Mama? Well, it wasn't the first time he had heard about a digimon having a family of its own. After all, he had met several when he had first played _The Digital World_. He had even gone to a digimon wedding with his best friend once. A small smile quirked across his face at that memory, but he could not dwell on these memories. At least not now. "Where's your Mama Koromon?"

But the little digimon only shifted, burying its face in Kuma's arms. The little player patted the top of the digimon's head with his mitten-clad hands, frowning a little as he peeked up at Flare. "He doesn't talk much…"

"How'd you run into him?" Frowning, the Eskimo-like boy shifted his sitting position, seeming to become more at ease with Flare's presence, still somewhat rigid, but all traces of his shaking was gone.

"When we came here Katsuhara and Teppei went off to fight these IceDevimon. They told me to stay put, because I would get in the way… That's how I found Koromon, I tripped over him in the snow, and he started crying about his Mama. He told me they got separated. Then when Katsuhara and Teppei came back, they wanted to kill him to level up…" Katsuhara and Teppei, he assumed were the two players from earlier, concluding that those were their real names. Nodding, Flare ran a hand through his wavy hair. Kuma looked down, mumbling something that caused Flare to strain his ears to hear. "I told Koromon I would help him get back to his Mama…"

He looked at this little player, frowning slightly. There was no doubt that Kuma would help Koromon find his Mama, but the odds that Kuma could get hurt in the process was high; he didn't seem like he had played the game long, or if he had, wasn't very good. Flare frowned to himself, weighing the options in his mind. Assisting the boy in his quest would kill some time and he could possibly gain some more experience… Plus, the kid reminded him of his own little brother. He stood with a nod, offering Kuma his hand. "Well, why don't we both help Koromon find his Mama?"

"H-Huh?" Kuma seemed surprised, his wide eyes looking up at Flare, who just couldn't help but grin.

"I can't just leave now. Besides, I wanna give you a hand. Three heads are better than one, or two!" Flare winked playfully, continuing to hold out his hand to the little boy. Slowly, a mitten hand took hold of his, and with one good heave Kuma was standing, the little Koromon cradled in one arm. Flare continued to grin as he looked at the little player, who remained to stare up at him with wide, somewhat confused eyes. "What?"

"You aren't… you aren't going to try and kill Koromon?" For a moment, all Flare could do was stare, before the grin grew across his face.

"Hell no! The only digimon I ever attack are the ones who start it… Well, most times." He put his hand on top of Kuma's head, giving it a good ruffle, the Eskimo hood becoming lop-sided in the process. "And besides, there's no way I would attack a little digimon who just wants to find their Mama! That's something only a coward would do!"

A small smile formed across Kuma's face. It was a nice smile, once again reminding Flare of his little brother. With another good-natured wink he bent down slightly so he was eye to eye with the little digimon, his head tilted to one side curiously. "So little guy, where's your Mama?"

Koromon, however, turned and hid its face once again in Kuma's arms. Frowning, Flare straightened up to look at the little boy. "Why don't you try…"

Kuma gave a simple nod, ducking his head and whispering to Koromon. The little digimon lifted his face, blinking tearfully before mumbling an answer, and hiding again. Flare blinked at this, his head remaining tilted to one side as he looked at Kuma, awaiting the response. The younger player shifted, chewing his lip as he readjusted Koromon in his arms. "He says that his Mama and him live in a village just over the mountain. It's in a valley."

"Alright! Then over the mountain we go!" He stepped forward, in the direction of said mountain, but after a few steps he paused to look back at the little player, who remained rooted to his spot. Flare raised an eyebrow once again. "Kuma? You coming?"

"Th-There are lots of dangerous monsters on th-that mountain…"

"… Yeah, there are. But you promised Koromon," he turned, walking back to the shaking boy. Smiling, he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, hoping the gesture would help to calm him, even if it was just slightly. "Besides, you aren't alone. I won't let anything bad happen to you or Koromon. Promise."

Kuma remained quiet, his eyes locked on the snowy ground beneath him. Then he slowly lifted his head, before nodding as he stepped forward. Another grin formed as Flare followed after him, one hand casually resting on the handle of his blade.

It reminded him so much of the good old days…

-

He had come to learn that the meadow was a sacred place. He had learnt this after accidentally stumbling upon the pond. From what other digimon had told him, the meadow was a domain for digimon to rest, as well as to heal after fights with players. From what they told him, and what he observed, no other player had ever been allowed to enter the meadow but him. At least until Lowe had appeared. Every other player who tried in the past (and the newer ones, to Lobo's annoyance, had tried several times) were always attacked by the digimon who guarded the sacred space. However, they had always allowed him to enter with no hesitation, and they had done the same with Lowe. Lobo had a good feeling as to why he himself was allowed to enter, though that guess could be wrong. He didn't know. But why had they allowed Lowe in? He couldn't understand it. Frowning, he laid on the bank of the pond, his feet resting in the water. His armor remained safely tucked away in his inventory, so he wore simple white pants and shirt as he usually did when he relaxed. His arms rested behind his head, acting as a pillow, red eyes staring up at the cloudless sky beyond the trees. Why had the digimon allowed Lowe in? Was there a particular reason? He couldn't understand…

He couldn't help but be irritated at the player. After all, before he had arrived, the meadow had been his secret (sort of) spot. A spot where no players could harass him with questions or threats, a spot that he could rest, and talk with digimon privately, a place where he could recollect and remember the past without anyone to bother him, a spot where he could avoid Hikari's lectures to go to bed. But now Lowe knew of this spot as well. Somehow Lowe had been able to enter the meadow. And worse of all, Lobo had no clue how the Lancer had been able to enter the meadow. And that drove Lobo insane. Plus, to make matters worse he had _told_ Lowe that he too could come to this secret spot. What had made him do that!?

… Oh right. Hikari.

With a simple sigh he sat up, shaking his head. He shouldn't feel jealous. After all, who knew if Lowe would even return to the meadow after their last encounter… He _had_ scared the other player off, though it hadn't been intentional. He never really meant to chase people off, it just happened sometimes. Lobo couldn't help it, it was just how he was. He supposed he was just naturally frightening... At least in _The Digital World._

Grumbling to himself, he looked at the trees, where a pair of eyes stared out at him. He shot the digimon a glare, but it only laughed, jumping out of the trees and landing in the water. A large splash occurred as a result, leaving the admin drenched.

"What'cha thinkin' 'bout?" Asked a voice. He looked at the digimon that had just jumped into the water, still glaring. It didn't notice, swimming around happily, though Lobo was able to make out who it was even through the water.

"Nothing of your concern, Veemon," he spat, wringing the edge of his shirt out. "And thank you _so_ much for getting me wet…"

"No problemo!" The digimon replied with a definite male voice. A grin was on its face, spitting water out like a fountain, choosing to direct the fountain of spit-water at Lobo, who immediately scrambled out of the way with disgust.

"Gross! Veemon! Are you _sure_ you're a member of the Royal Knights?"

"Oh lighten up, Lobo," the blue rookie responded, getting on its back and swimming around the pond. "It's just_ data_ to you guys. Not like its real or anythin'."

"You know I don't view _The Digital World_ that way," he grumbled irritably. "I view it just as real as the world I was born in. You know that."

"Yeah, yeah. Zero was lookin' for you earlier by the way. Dai told me."

"What could he want that he couldn't just PM me about…" He frowned a little at the notion, deciding to talk to the older player later on. Right now he just wanted to relax…

He did his best to block out the sound of Veemon's incessant chatting and off-key singing. Distantly, Lobo wondered how the rookie was a member one of the strongest groups of digimon in the Digital World. With a small sigh he laid back down on the bank of the river, his eyes slipping shut. His breathing slowed as he focused on it, emptying his mind as he slowly began to relax. Vaguely, he could feel his fingers lax their grip on his controller, in the Real World. Everything began to drift away as he continued to focus on only breathing. Before he even realized it, his head had fallen to rest on his desk in the Real World, asleep at his computer screen…

-

"Kuma get down!" Flare darted forward, raising his sword and blocking an IceDevimon's attack. Another snuck up on his side, Flare barely reacting in time to shove the little mage out of the way. The digimon's claw nailed him in the side, sending him flying into a snow bank. Groaning, Flare shook his head, managing to get up and out of the chilly mound, though he swayed. He had little time to recollect himself, though, leaping back just in time to avoiding another attack, his hand reaching into his pocket and drawing out one of the last Potions he had left. He slashed through one of the IceDevimon, which burst into data, before leaping back to block another attack that was aimed at the little mage. Gritting his teeth, Flare felt his feet pushed back. Wide eyes narrowed as he glanced at Kuma, who was cowering behind him, hugging a trembling Koromon in his arms. "Ku-Kuma, listen to me. Cast a spell!"

But the little boy remained motionless, his eyes wide in terror as he tried to speak, but no sound came out. A scream of pain escaped the swordsmen as he felt another attack nail his unguarded side. He stumbled into the snow, one eye squeezing shut in pain. His right leg was completely frozen from the most recent attack, and an IceDevimon was approaching him. He tried to get up, only to be knocked back down quickly as his enemy's foot collided with his stomach. Again he crashed into the snow, his fingers losing their grip on his sword which was sent spiraling out of his hands, landing a foot away from him. He reached for it, panic coursing through his veins. But before he could reach it, another foot collided with him again. Gasping out, Flare felt his body become weaker and weaker. At this rate they were doomed.

And he could not help but feel incredibly frustrated by the whole thing. Why wouldn't Kuma _do_ something? The little boy was crying again, and so was the digimon charge he held protectively in his arms. Flare screamed slightly as he was thrown in the air, landing harshly in the snow once more. He'd never imagine snow, which looked so fluffy and soft, could _hurt_ so much. Releasing a small groan, Flare tried again to get up, but his arms shook with the strain, before giving out altogether. He fell face first into the snow, and this time he couldn't urge his body to move.

He needed a Potion.

He needed to get up.

One of the IceDevimon's boots hit his back. Air was knocked out of his lungs, followed by harsh coughs, red staining the snow beneath him. Mentally he cursed, since he didn't have the energy or time to do it out loud. This was not good. Not good at all. He glanced towards Kuma trying to urge the boy to move. But he couldn't get his voice to work. Everything was fading. He couldn't die though. If he did…

_ "You are such a baby." _A familiar voice fluttered into his ears. Slowly, he opened his eyes, but the owner of the voice was not present. His half-opened eyes gazed towards the enemies, a distant memory playing in the back of his mind. _"If you're going to give in that easy, you are a waste as a party member. Now get up."_

His friend… Weakly he forced his arms to work. Pushing himself up despite the strain it put on his body.

_"Get up!"_

He wasn't going to die here.

_"Don't give in!"_

He wasn't going to give up!

_"Fight you idiot!"_

He managed to stand, the IceDevimon around him looking somewhat confused. He swayed, forcing them to chuckle.

_"'Fight with every ounce of strength you have!' That's what you've always told me!"_

He could feel the ice around his leg begin to melt, heat becoming drawn to him, his fingers curling into tight fists.

_"I believe in you moron, you are strong."_

He leapt forward into the air, twisting his body around. A tornado of fire engulfed him as he crashed into one of IceDevimon.

_"Never forget why you fight!"_

He still had a mission to keep. A task that needed to be completed. He landed on the ground, ramming his shoulder into another IceDevimon before rolling and picking up his sword. He sliced through another one, data floating in the air around him. The remaining digimon-enemies backed up, before taking off in fright. A small smirk wormed across his face, before he fell to his knees. Beads of sweat trickled down his face, and Flare found himself leaning against his sword for support to keep his body from completely falling over. His chest heaved as he sucked in air, a shaky hand reaching into his pocket and pulling out a Potion. He downed it quickly, feeling some of his strength returning, slipping the empty bottle back into his pocked with a shake of the head. The swordsman stood slowly, still leaning against his weapon for support as he turned his head in the direction of where Kuma sat. The other player was still trembling in fear, curled up tightly with Koromon. Flare approached slowly, the snow crunching beneath his feet.

"Why didn't you do something?" He tried his best to keep his voice even, trying to keep his temper in check. But the anger broke through, dripping from his voice as he stood in front of the little mage. Kuma cringed, trying to hide his face as he backed away with each step Flare took towards him, until he became trapped against a rock. Fearful eyes looked up at Flare, the swordsmen towering over him. "Why didn't you cast a spell? You're a mage. You could've helped me out!"

"I-I…" But Kuma couldn't get out anymore. Large tears slipped down his face as he began to cry, the baby digimon in his arms following suit. Groaning inwardly, Flare sheathed his sword, squatting down in front of the boy.

"Stop. Stop crying." He waited for the other to stop. Eventually the tears lessened, though Kuma still hiccupped as Flare continued. "You got scared huh?"

The other boy wiped his eyes with one arm, nodding timidly. Flare nodded too, scratching the back of his head. "Alright, well… That's okay. Really. Those guys were really scary. But when you're in a party you have to help your teammates."

The little boy still remained quiet. Flare tried to smile good naturedly as he sat in front of the boy, pulling out another Potion bottle. "But I can't always take on the bad guys by myself."

"I-I know," sniffed the little mage. "Bu-But wh-when I see the mon… monst-"

"Shh, shh," Flare shifted, taking a risk by wrapping his arm around the younger boy. Kuma's large, still tearful eyes, looked up at him, and once again it reminded Flare so much of his little brother. "We'll make a plan, alright? When digimon come then you go out of range, hide behind a rock with Koromon. As long as you're in range you can still cast spells. I'll take the direct, heads-on fighting, and you give me back up. Can you try that?"

Kuma nodded, wiping his eyes again. It caused that goofy grin to return to Flare's face giving the other boy's head a good ruffle. "Do you know how to cast Heal?"

Again, the boy nodded, readjusting the little digimon in his arms. "I-I know some other spells too…"

"What element base are you?"

The little boys face scrunched together in a thoughtful (and still tearful) thinking process. "Um… Ice based mostly…"

"Okay, well that won't do too good against the digimon here! So avoid those. Do you know any others?" The face remained scrunched together as he thought, Flare casually sipping another Potion as he waited.

"Not really… I just started a few days ago so…"

"Alright. Then I just want you to hide and cast Heal for me when digimon attack and anything else that can help. Like Defense, Speed, that kind of stuff. All mages should have those when their starting out." Flare thought for a moment, a frown on his lips as he tried to think of what else they could use in fights. "Did you buy any Digi'mentals?"

"Digi'Mentals?" Flare laughed, tucking the empty bottle into his pocket before searching for said item.

"They're items you can get in shops. There are some that are element based, others that can make you temporarily invulnerable to enemy attacks, and some that can poison, or stun, or put the enemy to sleep," he explained. Finally finding what he was looking for, he pulled out a simple, egg-shaped item decorated with fire, as well as a large metal horn of sorts, and the crest of courage. It was the Digi'Mental of Courage, one of Flare's favorites. Gennai Inc. had decided, upon the creation of the Digi'Mental eggs, to name eight after the Crest Bearers. Flare had asked Zero why once, but the Bearer of Courage had just shrugged, stating he had no clue. Flare suspected it was to keep the legend of the Crest Bearers alive, even after all of them ceased playing. He grinned widely at the little mage, holding it up so he could see it. "This is the Digi'Mental of Courage. It makes fire! I also have, I think, the Digi'Mental of Sincerity… That generally poisons or stuns an enemy, depends on what if feels like. The Courage one will be the most useful against the ice-based digimon we're gonna encounter, so you can take it. Sincerity could be useful too, but it needs to be used at a close range, so I'll keep that."

Kuma nodded, absorbing all the information quietly. Flare wondered if he had explained it well enough, but really doubted it. He could still remember when he had explained the Digi'Mentals to Lowe. Now _that_ had ended badly. He would just have to introduce Kuma to Blitz or Kaze later, they could explain all of it better.

He ran a hand through his hair, trying to think of anything else they needed. When nothing came to mind, he bounced up to his feet. "Alright! Let's keep going! Just stick to the plan when digimon attack, okay?"

He grinned at the little mage in hope to cheer him up, offering his hand to the younger player, who accepted it just like earlier. Quietly, they began their trek across the mountain again, Flare looking ahead, trying his best to map out just how much further they had to go. It shouldn't be much longer until they reached the top of the mountain, and then after that they could make a sled and just slide down the remainder of the mountain. That, he was sure, would be fun. And maybe Kuma would finally laugh. All they needed to do was not get attacked. And if they were attacked, well, Flare just prayed Kuma would not freeze up again…

-

A soft sob broke through the darkness, forcing Lobo to groan as he regained consciousness. Slowly, he allowed his eyes to open, recalling what happened. He had fallen asleep while logged in. Again. Hikari was _so _going to give him a huge lecture for that if she found out.  
Yawning widely, he sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He looked around the meadow for the source of the cries, curious despite himself. Veemon was gone, and no other digimon were visible. He stood with a frown , stretching slightly, red eyes continuing to scan the area. His eyes landed on the source of the sobs within moments, on a player wearing a long gold-lined black coat who was huddled in a tight ball beneath one of the many trees, his half-masked face buried in his knees. A mop of wind-swept blonde hair identified him and Lobo hesitantly walked over to the Lancer.

"Lowe?" The player in question jumped, tearful red eyes looking up at the admin. Quickly Lowe stumbled to his feet, bowing to him.

"I-I'm sorry! I-I was… I didn't know… I'm sor-" Lobo closed the distance between them in three steps, covering Lowe's masked mouth to silence the Lancer's babblings.

"Lowe, take a deep breath. Okay?" Lobo frowned deepened as he sat the other player back down, trying to think of what to do. He wasn't good at comforting people. He didn't really like to do it unless it was absolutely necessary. And at the moment… It seemed very necessary. He wondered just what had happened. Had Lowe and that fairy-player had another fight? Was that why he was in here crying? Or was it something else? "Lowe, what happened? Some players harass you?"

"N-No, nothing like that." He wiped his tears on his sleeve again. "I'm meeting Izu- Kaze today… So I'm just waiting for her to email me when she gets on…"

"Then why are you _crying_?"

"I'm sorry Lobo-san… I didn't know where else to go. I mean… I just didn't feel like being around the other players, and I didn't realize you were here… I'm sorry."

"What's wrong?" He didn't mean to sound so threatening, but he felt like it was the only way to get an answer from the sobbing boy. Sniffing, Lowe looked down, pulling his knees into his chest. Suddenly, Lobo felt incredibly awkward. "Unless it's, you know, personal…"

The other blonde nodded a bit. Sighing, Lobo rubbed the back of his neck uneasily as he sat beside him. They sat in silence, Lowe's soft sobs echoing in his ears, slowly driving the admin mad. He chewed his lower lip, glancing at the sobbing player, before finally working up the nerve to speak up. "A friend of mine once told me that… When you really need to talk about something… Strangers are sometimes the best people to talk too. Because they don't know you, so they can give you true advice…"

"My Grandma… Is really sick…" Came the mumbled voice. Lobo looked at him, saying nothing in response as the other player continued through another sob. "Sh-She's gonna die. Th-That's what the doc-doctor told us. She… She's always taken care of me. Sh-She helped Mom raise me an-and now… I can't… can't do anything to he-help her!"

Another sob shook the boys' shoulders. Lobo half wondered how much the player was crying in the Real World. Hesitantly, Lobo reached out wrapping one arm around the shaking Lancer. It was awkward for him - he never liked initiating hugs, whether they were virtual hugs or real ones. Lowe stiffened at the action, making Lobo wonder if maybe he had done the hug wrong? Was there a _right_ way to hug someone when they were upset? He didn't know. His stomach knotted in sudden concern before he felt the other player turn, burying his face into Lobo's white shirt. The admin stiffened, eyes widening briefly as he felt the other player sob more and more, clinging to Lobo. Feeling even _more_ awkward, he patted Lowe's back, before sighing, giving him a small, hopefully comforting, squeeze. His eyebrows knitted together as he tried to think of what to say. But whenever he had had to deal with a crying player Hikari was always with him, and she generally did the comforting. Lobo just did not have to patience for crying people…

He tried his hardest to remember soothing words his father would use when he had been upset in the past…

But he hadn't cried in a long time. Not since he was a child… And his father was just like him, very awkward when it came to comforting someone. Chewing his lip again, he patted Lowe on the back, causing the player to lift his head, sniffing loudly. Lobo raised his hands to wipe the player's tears away as gently as he could, finally thinking about the proper thing to say. "You can do something Lowe…"

"Wh-What?" Sniffled Lowe as he pulled away from the hug, wiping his nose on his sleeve, he looked so little suddenly…

Chewing his bottom lip, Lobo tried to remember the proper wording. He could remember when he was a child, when his Uncle Hiroki had died. He remembered how he had cried and cried and cried until his father had sat him down. How had his father put it?

"Spend all the time you have with her while she's here," he stated simply, furrowing his brow more as he remembered his father's words. "And… When she's gone… She won't really be gone. Because she'll live in your memories of her… She'll always be with you. In your heart."

Lowe looked at him, sniffing again as Lobo shifted awkwardly. That had to be the corniest thing he could have ever said. "At least… That's what my Dad told me when I was little…"

"How old are you, Lobo-san?" That was a strange conversation twist... Scowling, Lobo crossed his arms over his chest, shutting his eyes with an indignant sniff.

"It is against the rules to reveal your real age to a player."

"Is it really...?"

"Yes it is."

"You're… A stickler for rules aren't you?" Lobo cracked one crimson eye open to look at the other player. A small smile had formed across the teary face, and inwardly Lobo could not help but smile back.

But outwardly he continued to scowl, shrugging simply as he looked off to the side. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"So you follow every rule?"  
"I have too."

"Why?"

"My job?" He offered with a small shrug. Lowe was quiet, wiping his eyes on his sleeve.

"Even the silly ones?" Lobo was quiet for a moment, recalling similar words from the past. How many times had his friend asked him that? Or teased him over the silly ones? He fought down a small smile, looking at Lowe from the corner of his eye, before looking out at the water.

"… Yes…"

"Can I stay here until Izu- Kaze logs on?" Mumbled the Lancer, looking down again. Lobo said nothing, just nodded, wrapping an arm around the other player quietly. The blonde swordsman tensed nervously, feeling the other player rest his head against his shoulder. But Lobo didn't try and push him away, he just kept his arm firmly around the other player.

"Yeah, of course."

-

Flare couldn't help but smile as he arrived in File Island, Kuma by his side. They had managed to get to the village where they found Koromon's mother, a kind Frigimon, frantically trying to get other villagers to go looking for the little digimon. She had been so grateful to them that she had given both of them special items: a new staff for Kuma, and a dagger for Flare. They hadn't really expected any rewards, the two of them were just happy to be able to reunite the two.

He slipped his coat off, putting it back in his inventory. He half expected to see Kuma do the same, but the little mage merely slipped his hood off, shaking flecks of snow out of his white-blue hair. Blinking, the little mage looked up at Flare, large green eyes peering up at him from behind his bangs. "Thank you so much for helping me, Flare…"

"Ah don't mention it, besides you saved me from dying quite a couple times before we reached the village." A grin formed across Flare's face as he ruffled the little boy's hair again. After the first battle Kuma had indeed helped him quite a bit. Flare couldn't count how many times the mage had saved him from a 'Game Over' screen. Still grinning, the swordsman slung his arm around the little mage's shoulders, the two beginning to walk down the cobbled streets of File Island. "C'mon, let's go see what else there is to do. The day is still young! Plus, I wanna introduce you to some of my friends."

"Really?"

"Yup! They're all really nice," they continued to walk, Flare catching sight of a fluttering Kaze in the distance at the bridge. Lowe was standing behind her and Blitz not too far off. Flare could even see the admin Lobo standing off to the side of the bridge, as if he had just been speaking with them. He moved, taking Kuma by his still mitten-clad hand, before breaking out into a run. The younger player stumbled after him, eyes wide, but Flare continued to grin as they ran towards his friends.

Another adventure was lying ahead of them. Flare could sense it coming…

And he couldn't wait for it to begin.

(-)(-)(-)

**As per usual everybody thank Evide for making this chapter sparkly and awesome!**

**So, this chapter also marks the first chapter where we break from Kouichi's POV! And I hope you all enjoyed it :3**

**There are still a bunch of people to that need to be introduced, but finally the whole Frontier cast has appeared. Meaning next chapter, things get real interesting –wrings hands together evilly-**

**I hope the Digi'Mental explanation made sense -.-; I originally had nixed it from the plot, but decided to throw it in at the last minute. If it confused anyone feel free to ask any questions and I'll try my best to explain.**

**There was something else I really wanted to say down here. But I completely blanked… **

**Ah well!**

**Thank you all for your reviews! You have no idea how happy they have made me. **

**I hope you continue to enjoy this fic :3**


	5. LOGIN 005

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

**LOGIN_005**

_The Digital World_, the most popular MMORPG game ever. Every person knew about it and of the controversy that had followed the game when it was first launched –that players were falling into comas. Gennai Inc., the company that had created _The Digital World_, never made an official statement of what had been the cause, but many players had said it was a vicious angel that had deleted players. Among the players of the first _Digital World,_ there were two that, according to veterans, had taken a stand against the vicious angel and defeated it just as_ The Digital World_ itself shut down). Their names had become infamous amongst players, new and old.

Fervor of the Rising Sun and Licht of the Rising Moon they were called. But were they real? Or were they just a myth?

-

"Get down! Get out of here!" He felt frozen to the spot, watching with terrified eyes as the character in front of him blocked yet another attack from the two digimon. The scene in front of his became blurry, tears of terror racing down his cheeks. The other player remained in front of him, gripping his giant hammer weapon. The other player glanced over his shoulder at him, before returning his attention to the digimon, shouting back at him. "I said get out of here! Log out now!"

He wanted to speak, but his voice was gone. He couldn't move; all he could do was watch in pure fright. His entire body was trembling, in the Real World, he could barely hold onto the controller. This wasn't supposed to happen. They had only come to level up! This wasn't supposed to happen. The two digimon, they weren't supposed to attack players. They were…

His friend's cry of pain snapped him from his thoughts, just in time to watch the other player's body be flung to the side, the pink digimon now approaching him. His mind screamed for him to run, but his body still refused to move. All he could do was stare up at the digimon. "Fist of Athena!"

"Get down!" He was pushed out of the way, a scream of pain escaping his friend as he took the attack. Again all he could do was watch, his friend attempting to pick himself up, crying in pain as the pink digimon stomped on his back.

"This is a stubborn one isn't he?"

"You gotta… gotta ru-run…" Came the weak voice, directed at him. He still couldn't move, eyes wide as the other digimon approached, clicking his tongue in amusement. "Run!"

He watched as the two digimon attacked his friend, the scream piercing the dank air around them. His heart leapt into his throat as his friend's body became limp, a thin circle of data surrounding him.

It was then, in the Real World, that the controller was ripped from his hands. The field vanished from his sight as someone forcibly logged him out. He stared at the blank inside of his visor, a thump sounding to his right.

With trembling fingers he removed the visor; fearfully turning his head to look at the brown haired teenager besides him. He was slumped in his chair, the wire for his visor hanging limply in the brown haired teenager's hand. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he rested his hand on his friend's shoulder, shaking him. The teenager didn't respond, his body falling from his chair and to the ground.

That was when he finally managed to scream.

-

Blitz frowned, looking around the area he had warped to, a battle worn land lying before him. It wasn't unusual to find the occasional battle-scarred areas. He had stumbled across them several times during his time in _The Digital World_. After all, the areas did not always go back to normal after battles, especially if the battles had been intense. It was one of the reasons why so many people said Fervor of the Rising Sun and Licht of the Rising Moon had battled at the Rose Morning Star, because the area was so scarred, even after the rerelease of the game. But the fight marks were not what he found so strange about this area; what he found so strange was that the area was crawling with admins. He would not be so concerned if there was only one or two, but he could count at least twenty, scouring the crater that was embedded in the land. Other normal players were in the area as well, whispering fervently to one another. Blitz could only imagine the rumors that he would hear in File Island later on that day when he met up with the others.

Off to the side he spotted Lobo, speaking to Hikari of Light and another admin that Blitz wasn't familiar with. It was another female, a Lancer like his friend Lowe. She looked familiar though… He had seen her someplace before. She was taller than Lobo; her pink hair reached her shoulders in thick braids, blue feathers hanging off the tips of the braids. Her garments were simple; a brown tunic on with cream colored riding pants tucked into boots. Red armor rested on her right shoulder, connecting to a metal glove that reminded him of talons. Her spear rested in her left hand, though at the moment it hung loosely as she crossed her arms over her chest. Where had he seen her before? How did Blitz know her?

Deciding to get information from the admins rather than gossiping players, he walked towards them. He had spoken to Lobo once or twice in the past, so it wasn't like going up to a complete stranger. And of course he had talked to Hikari of Light before; though he had always done so a bit timidly.

"Excuse me… What's going on?"

"Nothing," came the obligated snap from Lobo, who turned to fix Blitz with an icy glare. He was unaffected though, tilting his head to one side, before looking at the two women. Hikari was giggling, hitting Lobo on the arm gently.

"Now, now, no need to be rude. It wouldn't hurt to let him know. There will be rumors come this afternoon anyways."

The scowl never faded from Lobo's face, though Blitz just assumed it was a permanent feature. The Swordsman looked at Hikari, though his glare had faded into an annoyed look. "Yes, but we are not allowed to reveal confidential information Hikari. It's against the rules."

"Oh like you use to follow the rules so closely," came the retort from the Lancer. She laughed looking at Blitz with amused, bird-like eyes. "Truth is we don't know exactly what's happened yet. All we know is something illegal occurred here."

Blitz wanted desperately to ask more questions to the admins, but decided better against it. If anything, just to avoid getting another icy glare from the always -testy Lobo. "Will you guys be releasing a report on it later?"

"If we feel it's necessary," the bird-eyed girl smiled pleasantly. "It's nothing to be terribly worried about. I suggest just going to a different level though."

He nodded, though he wanted to know more. "Players will worry though."

"We aren't telling you anything, so buzz off."

"Ignore him. He hasn't eaten yet today." Hikari apologized for Lobo, who scowled at her before yelping.

"Hey! You didn't need to hit me!" Blitz blinked. Hikari hadn't touched him…

So that meant they were playing in the same room in the Real World? Interesting.

"Honestly, you two are such kids."

"Oh be quiet Biyo!" Wait… Biyo as in…

So that's how he recognized her! Biyo of Love; one of the players who had defeated that impossible level along with Zero of Courage and Hikari of Light. He shouldn't be surprised to find her here. After all several of those "Crest Bearers", as they had been dubbed, had gone on to become admins, for at least a little while. At least that's what he had heard. Feeling suddenly nervous amongst the two famous players, he said a quick goodbye, warping out of the field. Blitz couldn't help but sigh, standing in front of the Digi'Port in File Island, his mind trailing back to the scene he had just witnessed…

Something big had happened… The admins were trying to keep it covered up. Was it to keep the other players from panicking? He wasn't sure. What he did know, however, was something was happening. And sooner or later he was going to find out…

"Blitz?" He snapped out of his thoughts, turning his head to face the somewhat timid voice. Kuma was standing in front him, large green eyes blinking curiously. Blitz smiled a bit, Flare had introduced them all to the little mage a few weeks ago. At first, he had been incredibly shy, but slowly he was beginning to warm up to all of them. Kuma was still blinking, shifting his grip on his staff as he tilted his head to the side. "What's wrong? You were staring off."

"Ah, just thinking kiddo," he replied, deciding not to worry the younger player. "Where are the others?"

"Um… I'm not sure. I think it's either too late or early for Kaze… I dunno her time differences, and Lowe hasn't been on to my knowledge.

"So where's the fire-cracker?" Blitz asked as they began to walk down the street. Kuma's face scrunched slightly as he thought before shrugging.

"He hasn't been on either…"

"Well _that's_ strange… Flare's always on…"

"He did mention something about his brother's birthday earlier this week. Maybe that's where he is…" That seemed very likely. Or maybe Flare had finally gotten a life outside _The Digital World_. As doubtful as that seemed to Blitz.

"So guess it's just you and me today eh? What should we do?"

"I dunno…"

"We could go try a field." He saw the nervous look on Kuma's face, and he gave a little smile. "It'll be an easy field. Promise."

"That's what Kaze and Flare said last time, and I ended up getting a Game Over three times…"

"That's because Kaze and Flare are easily excited and easily bored, which is a terrible combination. And, they think new players can handle much tougher levels then they really can." Blitz stated simply, grinning when the younger boy laughed. "C'mon, it'll kill some time. And wouldn't you like to surprise the others by showing how much you leveled up?"

Kuma seemed to consider this before smiling from ear-to-ear, bouncing eagerly as he spoke. "Let's go! Let's go!"

Blitz laughed, following the younger boy as he ran back to the Digi'Port, only to find a small crowd formed outside it. Kuma was blinking in confusion now, looking up at Blitz as he came to stand besides the mage. An admin, at least Blitz assumed it was an admin, though he could have very well been a moderator, was standing in front of the Digi'Port.

"The Digi'Port is closed for the day. There have been several glitches in the system. We request that players remain in File Island or simply log out for the day."

"What do you _mean_ it's closed!?" Shouted a player with a metallic red vest, stepping towards the admin. "It's never closed! Even when some levels have glitches! What the Hell is going on!?"

"Nothing of your concern; now I would leave before you start a fight."

"Burst, let's just go," a female player remarked, taking hold of the player. He immediately began to shout at her, but she ignored his shouts easily, dragging him away. "Honestly… This is the worst…"

Slowly, after a couple more angry shouts, the small mob dispersed. Blitz frowned, being one of the few remaining players, he looked at Kuma, who was gripping his staff nervously again. So the scene he had seen earlier was larger than he had first thought. Whatever had happened was big enough to close off all the fields in the Digi'Port system. But what had happened?

He glanced back at the player who had stood so bravely in front of the crowd. He was still standing in front of the Digi'Port, though his gaze had moved to the sky. Sighing, the player was muttering to himself, shaking his head. His hair was a dual color. Half of it was green, spiked up, while the other half was a pinkish color that flopped into his face. He wore a hooded jacket that reminded Blitz almost immediately of a Terriermon, though his shorts were brown resembling the color of a Lopmon. He rubbed his temples irritably, slipping the staff he had been holding back into its resting place on his back. Blitz could overhear his muttering, though just barely. "Hikari owes me big… I hate doing stuff like that… At least Lobo's little speech worked…"

Frowning Blitz looked down at Kuma, before leading the boy away from the Digi'Port. "Let's find something else to do."

"Is there anything to do in File Island?" Blitz laughed, giving a nod as they continued to walk.

"Of course! There's always stuff to do, the trick is finding it!"

They walked through the streets again. Blitz's mind drifted back to the area he had seen. The crater in the earth, and then the Digi'Port's unheard of closing…

Something big was happening.

-

Izumi frowned greatly as once again another error appeared on _The Digital World_ screen. She reached out irritably, snatching up her cell phone. Kouichi would still be awake, she was sure of this. And if he wasn't she would wake him up! She needed to talk to him. Now. Pacing nervously, she waited for him to pick up the phone. No answer came as she was directed to his voicemail. She called again, now tapping her foot impatiently on the floor, her frown turning into a scowl. Again no answer. She tried for a third time, finally a groggy voiced Kouichi greeting her in slurred Japanese. She wasted no time though with greetings, immediately plowing into the heart of her concern, in the Japanese she had not used in days. "How's your Grandmother!?"

It took a moment for him to respond. She heard another yawn before shifting, and then he spoke. "She's okay… She's sick but… She's strong…"

They fell quiet again. Izumi wished that she could be with him now. She could hear the heart break in his voice, even if he tried to hide it. More than anything, she wanted to be with him… "I can see if I can come back to visit."

"No, Izumi I'm fine. You have to stay in school. Besides, I see you in _The Digital World_." But that wasn't good enough for her. She couldn't really hug him. A virtual hug wasn't as good as a real hug. She brushed her hair back over her shoulder sitting down at her desk, a frown set on her lips. She opened her mouth to say something else, but Kouichi continued to speak. "How have you been anyways? How's the boyfriend?"

Her face flushed at his teasing voice, though she was happy to see that he could still indeed tease her. For awhile, mention of Touma was strictly taboo. If she did, he would get irritable, and often just log off. Shyly she looked down, as if he was really in the same room as her. "He's okay… We had another date the other night and it was nice… He took me to this really nice Italian restaurant."

"So you really like him?" There was something else in his voice, but she couldn't place what it was. But it was the tone that would always accompany his irritable mood.

"Yeah, I really do. You should meet him sometime! He's got an account in _The Digital World_."

"Guess he should join our group." She laughed at this, finally registering the tone as a note of his jealousy. She shook her head at his voice, smiling still.

"Nah, I like our group the way it is." She smiled as she thought of the small group they had formed. They were like family, almost. "I don't think we need any additions. Besides, Touma has his own team he fights with."

There was silence on Kouichi's end. Her smile faded as she twirled a piece of hair. "Kouichi… Why don't you like Touma? You've never even met him…"

"I should get going."

"Kouichi! Hey wait!"

"Izumi I really have to go. I'll talk to you later." Before she could even say another word there was a click, and Kouichi hung up on her. She sat quietly, the phone to her ear for another minute or so. Finally, she released a frustrated breath, snapping her cell phone shut. She got up off her chair, collapsing face first on the mattress. Small tears leaked down her cheeks as she looked at her bedside table. At the picture frame. Quietly, she picked it up, looking fondly at it. It was of her and Kouichi, when they were both in 3rd grade. A smile tugged her lips. He had been so shy back then, shyer then he was now. She would always have to talk for him, even in the classroom. Back then he never kept anything from her. They never had any secrets, until now.

Something was wrong, something was bothering Kouichi. Something besides his Grandmother, something about Touma bothered him… But why wouldn't Kouichi just tell her? It drove her insane! He _never_ kept secrets from her! And on the rare occasions that he did (most often regarding birthday gifts and surprises) she had learned that he was good at keeping them, since he never said a word no matter how much she pried! She buried her face in her pillow, a muffled scream echoing in her quiet little dorm room. Why was he being so frustrating?

After a minute, her throat felt raw. She lifted her face irritably, looking again at the picture. Screaming had helped a bit, but not a lot. She still felt frustrated beyond belief, setting the picture back on her table. A small 'ping' caught her attention, her eyes drifting back to the computer on her messy, oak desk. A message from _The Digital World_ sat on her screen… But she hadn't logged in. Confused she stood, walking to the computer and clicking the message books. Blonde eyebrows lifted as she read the message, the confusion growing:

_Subject: (untitled)_

_You who lives in the embrace of the Wind. Rise up and join with the forces that guide this World. Save it from the virus that lurks deep within._

She reread the message again and again trying to make sense of it. Was this some kind of event? She wondered if Kouichi had gotten the message…

But that led to another question…

How had she received the message while logged out of the game?

-

_The Digital World_ was offline for two more days. When it finally was back up and running, Gennai Inc. expressed that they had been doing maintenance that took longer than they had predicted. Most players seemed to buy the excuse, though some questioned it. Blitz was one of those people, especially after what he had witnessed hours before they had all been forcibly kicked out of the game. He frowned, looking around File Island, nothing seemed to have changed. He looked around the town; normal players were walking around, buying and trading like any other day. The cobble stone walkways were the same. The bridge that he and his friends met at was the same. All the old-fashioned shops with the digimon NPCs were the same. The only thing that reminded one of the offline days would be the occasional players whispering to one another. But in the end, everything was the same, and no one seemed to mind too much that something had happened. That they had been lied too. Irritable, Blitz walked through the town, looking around still. What had happened? He wished they would make a statement about that strange day. But the odds were it would forever remain a mystery.

"Blitz!" He turned his head, just in time to watch Kaze hurtle towards him. He braced himself, yelping as she collided with him. He managed somehow, he wasn't sure how, not to topple over from the impact. He laughed, ready to greet his friend, but stopped as he looked at her. Kaze's butterfly wings were fluttering anxiously, her eyebrows up near her hairline, indicating that behind her visor her eyes were wide. Something was bothering her; he could tell that almost immediately.

"What's wrong?"

"Did you get a weird email lately!?" He blinked, looking at her, a frown replacing his smile. What did she mean? A weird email?

"You mean like… An event?"

"No! Like an email that you get while you're logged out of the game!"

"Kaze that isn't possibly," he pointed out calmly, but she shook her head furiously. Blitz suddenly realized that she wasn't just anxious, she was scared… Taking her hand with his gloved one, he began to walk away from the crowded area. She followed after him, like a lost puppy. His eyes darted around to find a more private space. He finally found a spot between a Weapon Shop and a guild. He pulled her into the small alleyway, the frown deepening as he watched her fidget with her visor, before removing it completely, wide, nervous, violet eyes staring up at him. He tried to keep his voice even, but was suddenly growing more and more anxious. It took a lot to make Kaze frightened; he had learnt this throughout all the time he spent in parties with her. "Okay, first I want you to take a deep breath, and then explain to me this email."

She shot him an irritable look (which made him a bit relieved, at least she wasn't so frightened she couldn't get annoyed at him). Obediently, she took a deep gulp of air, before she spoke again, much calmer now, though still quickly. "When _The Digital World_ went down, I still had the log in screen on my window. I was talking to Kou- Lowe on the phone to check in with him. Then we hung up and this email was on my screen… And it was from _The Digital World_, but I wasn't logged in. I _couldn't _log in! I called Lowe almost immediately afterwards and he's gotten a similar email. I thought it was an event at first but… I dunno…"

"What does the email say?" He questioned, frowning a bit. It was true; sometimes mini-events were started through the messaging system. But generally for that to work, one had to be logged in, and as she had pointed out, she couldn't log in. Kaze shifted quietly, a screen appearing in front of her as she seemed to scrawl through emails. Another screen popped up and she turned it so it faced him. Frowning still he read it over not once but twice, his eyebrows furrowing together on both his character and in Real World. He looked down at the sender, his head tilted to one side. Fanglongmon? He had never heard that name before…And what did this message mean? _'The forces that guide this World.'_ What was that?

Kaze was shifting nervously again, toying with the visor in her hands. "You said Lowe got one too?"

"Yeah, but his said something about Darkness instead…" Her lips pursed together as she looked up at the taller player. "Does this mean anything to you?"

"Nothing, never heard of these 'forces'…" The screen vanished as Blitz continued to stare at where it had been. Suddenly, he recalled a conversation he had had with Lowe weeks ago. He had asked if Blitz or Flare had received any weird emails. So he had meant this… But what was the point of these strange emails? Who was Fanglongmon? "Maybe it's a user pulling a prank?"

Kaze shook her head, her ponytail bobbing as she stuck her lower lip out, like a pout. "I thought that at first too. So I made a post in the Forums about it. But get this… The topic was _deleted_."

"What?"

"It was deleted."

"Kaze, that makes no sense. Why would they delete it? I mean… You weren't breaking any rules… Did anybody contact you?"

She shook her head again, pouting more and more. "I've been considering sending an email to Hikari… She'd probably give me a decent answer but…"

"I think that's your best bet," Blitz responded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Send her an email tonight. And let me know when she replies, okay?"

She nodded, looking down at the visor in her hands. "I will…"

A shout caused him to turn his head. It was his Mother. Sighing, he looked at Kaze. He didn't want to leave her, especially when she was so worried… Her violet eyes looked up at him, her head tilted to the side. "What is it..?"

"My mom…"

"Dinner time?"

"Yeah… But I can skip, I mean, if you want me to stay on longer." Kaze smiled at him, forcing a small, almost embarrassed blush to spread across his cheeks. Even in a video game, her smile was beautiful.

"Thank you for the concern, but I probably should be logging off too. I have some homework to finish up." She replaced the visor over her eyes, stepping forward and throwing her arms around his neck in a hug. "Thanks a ton for listening, though. You really helped, I was freaking out."

He smiled a little, patting her back shyly. "It's no problem Kaze… That's what I'm here for."

His mother shouted again. Sighing, he waved good bye to the Sorceress as he logged out. He removed the visor from his head quietly, gazing at the computer monitor with a blank stare. Something was going to happen. And he had a feeling he and his friends were going to be at the heart of it.

-

Junpei Shibayama, commonly called Blitz in _The Digital World_, never liked school. He could never see the point in it. He never really learned anything particularly interesting, at least nothing that he was going to pursue. He would much rather be at home reading magic books, instead of sitting around learning about wars and math equations that he would never use. He wanted to be a magician, like Harry Houdini! School didn't teach him anything that could assist him in that field.

He'd have to wait for college, that's what his mother always said when they got onto the topic. Scowling a little, he looked around the grassy quad he sat in. It was lunch time, and here he was sitting alone out in the all but deserted quad…

Junpei took a large bite out of his sandwich, the scowl not fading. Normally he wasn't alone. Normally his classmate, Yasuhiko, would sit with him. Though, it would still be relatively quiet. But that was only because Yasuhiko _never_ spoke, unless he had no choice. It always bothered their classmates, but it never bothered Junpei. If anything, that was because he had gotten so use to Yasuhiko's little gestures. For instance, he knew when the much tinier boy wanted to sit with him; Yasuhiko would look over at Junpei, before tilting his head and point between them both. Now he didn't even bother waiting for the boy's shy gestured question though, because the moment he would see Yasuhiko he'd call him over.

They were the outcasts of their grade, of their school. For him, it was because he was a bit… Bigger than the other students; and he preferred to do magic tricks, or play _The Digital World _more than anything else. For Yasuhiko, it was because he was quiet. Because he did not like to talk, and would often be seen mouthing words to himself. It never bothered Junpei though, but, it bothered the majority of their class for some reason. Many of the students had spread rumors, commenting that Yasuhiko was mentally unstable. Junpei always snorted at those rumors, knowing very well they were untrue. Yasuhiko just didn't like to talk, that was all there was too it. And that bothered several students for some reason, not that Junpei understood. It wasn't any of their business. Now that he thought about it, the only person he had ever seen Yasuhiko talk openly to, and the only person he had ever seen to make the boys generally passive face light up, was his older brother, Haseo.

Speaking of Haseo… He hadn't seen the teenager today either. Generally Haseo would poke his head in at the beginning of the day to check in on Yasuhiko. He would also come in to tell the teacher if Yasuhiko was ill and collect his homework… But he hadn't shown up…

It was strange…

He finished his sandwich, standing up, brushing the crumbs off his black uniform as he walked back to the classroom. His scowl became a frown as he looked around. Yasuhiko was still nowhere to be seen. Earlier, he had thought that maybe he had just missed the boy. It wouldn't have been the first time Junpei had done it. Yasuhiko seemed to pride himself on being invisible. But he wasn't in…

"Hey… Akimiya?" A teenager with spiked up auburn hair turned his head, breaking away from his discussion with another student. He blinked a little, as if thinking there was another Akimiya in the proximity, before giving a simple nod to show Junpei had his attention. "Yasuhiko? He in today?"

"Eh? Nah haven't seen him." Akimiya, to his knowledge, was one of the only other students besides himself that did not believe the rumors about Yasuhiko. Meaning out of everyone in their class, he was probably the only other one that acknowledged the quiet boy and seemed to care about him.

The two of them were really more acquaintances then friends, but at the moment, Junpei wasn't sure who else to ask.

"Is his brother in?"

"Nah… Actually… That's weird. Maybe they're both sick..?" He shot Akimiya a look, the other laughing a little. "Okay, highly unlikely. Haseo's never sick. Maybe a family problem?"

"Maybe…" The teacher called the class back to order. Junpei took his seat by the window, and their classes resumed. He glanced towards the empty desk that Yasuhiko normally occupied.

Something was wrong…

-

The second school ended Junpei walked over to the teacher requesting Yasuhiko's address. He would've looked it up, but he had lost the school directory. The teacher smiled when he asked, requesting that Junpei bring the quiet student the homework he had missed. Not wanting to be rude, Junpei agreed, taking the pile of papers as well as the address from his teacher. He walked out the door after that, almost crashing into Akimiya.

"Ack! Shibayama! Be careful."

"Sorry, sorry. You on cleaning duty again?"

"Ah, no…" Akimiya shifted, almost shyly, rubbing the back of his head with a laugh. "After talkin' to you I got worried about Yasuhiko. I can't stop thinking something fishy is happening… So I was gonna get his address from Sensei…"

Junpei raised an eyebrow, before laughing as he held up the paper. "I'm heading there too. Already got the address, and his homework. You can tag along if you want."

"If you don't mind," the other teenager grinned shouldering his bag. "Lead the way."

The walk was a very quiet one. Occasionally they spoke, but only one or two words. It was apparent to him Akimiya was just as worried as he was. Something wasn't right. Both of them could sense that.

Once they got within a block of Yasuhiko's and Haseo's home the two quickened their pace. By the end they were nearly running to the front door. Their nervous thoughts winning over the sensible, 'you're just being paranoid' thoughts. Akimiya reached the doorstep first, being he was the more athletic one. By the time Junpei had made it the doorbell had already been rung five times.

After a minute, which felt like eternity to him, a woman answered the door. Her eyes were blood shot. And her face looked worn, her hair unkempt.

Something was really wrong.

"Hello… May I help you?"

"We're friends of Yasuhiko's, we um… Came to give him his homework." They couldn't help but stare are the disheveled women, both shooting each other very nervous glances. The woman nodded, holding the door open as she pulled a tissue from her peach colored robe and blew her nose. He exchanged yet another nervous look with Akimiya as they entered, toeing off their shoes as she continued to observe them. He was the first to realize what she wanted.

"I'm Shibayama, Junpei." He gave a polite bow, nudging Akimiya quickly.

"Ah! I'm Akimiya, Ryou." He bowed too, though it was sloppier. Junpei wasn't surprised though; Akimiya had lived in America for years before coming to Japan. He was still sloppy when it came to some customs.

"It is very nice to meet you both."

"It's nice to meet you too Tatsuno-san," Akimiya responded quickly, Junpei nodding in agreement.

"Yasuhiko is up in his room. If you could try-" She vanished into the kitchen for a moment, before returning with a bowl of soup holding it out to them. Junpei took it a bit perplexed until she spoke again. "-and have him eat this? He has not eaten since Haseo…"

She broke off covering her face as she sobbed. Akimiya stepped forward first, attempting to calm her down while giving Junpei a 'go ahead' look. He nodded in response, slowly walking up the stairs, being mindful of the steaming bowl of soup in his hands. Distantly he wondered what kind of soup it was. From the smell of it he was sure it was Miso soup, but he wasn't completely sure.

It was only when he reached the second level that he realized he had neglected to ask Tatsuno-san which room was Yasuhiko's. But after a minute or so of looking he had managed to find it. After all, there was a sign with Yasuhiko's name taped to the wood. Junpei had a feeling that was Haseo's work, since the door right next door had a similar sign, the older brother's name written on the paper in the same handwriting.

Junpei opened the door carefully, taking a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness that engulfed the small room. He was a bit surprised by what he saw. Yasuhiko's room laid in disarray. The bed wasn't made, and appeared like it hadn't been made in days. Clothes were scattered across the room, along with various crumpled papers. Junpei had always thought of Yasuhiko as neat, not messy. Frowning, he tip toed through the mess, making his way to where Yasuhiko sat in front of the glowing computer screen. Upon reaching it he discovered the pale teenager to be sound asleep.

With a heavy sigh, he cleared a space on the desk before setting the bowl down. Half of him wondered if he should wake Yasuhiko up, but at the moment he assumed it was best to let his classmate sleep. He waded again through the mess, snatching a blanket off Yasuhiko's bed and lying it over the smaller teenager. Yasuhiko mumbled something, before burying his face in his arms. Carefully Junpei removed the visor from the younger boy's head, before turning the computer off.

He glanced at his classmate, his head subconsciously tilting to one side.

Yasuhiko didn't _look_ sick…

He exited the room curiously, peeking into the room with Haseo's name on it. He almost laughed. He had always pegged Haseo for having a messy room, but the room he discovered was far neater then Yasuhiko's. A bit too clean, he noted, everything looked like it hadn't been touched in days… And Haseo was nowhere to be found. But that wasn't right. Haseo hadn't been in school either, he should be here.

Foot steps caught his attention. Akimiya was coming up the stairs, Junpei meeting him in the hallway. The other student's eyes were wide as he stopped a few steps away from where Junpei stood. He felt his stomach knot together nervously as he looked at Akimiya.

"What's wrong?"

"Haseo…"

"He's not here… Yasuhiko's asleep too."

"Shibayama," Akimiya shook his head, eyes still wide as they stared at one another. "Haseo's in a coma."

(-)(-)(-)

**Dun dun duuuuuun!!**

**Lotsa jumping around this chapter. But some very crucial things have occurred! Key plot points have occurred!!!**

**Like previous chapter there are parts I like, and then parts I really don't like. But stuff needed to get written. **

**So right, I had originally planned not to use any OCs at all, and just use the characters from the Digimon series. However as I continued writing I did come to realize there is a need for at least… three OCs, you'll all see why later on! And I decided that those three would have their names taken from the .hack franchise :3 So behold the first two characters, Yasuhiko and Haseo. **

**So again, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Don't expect an update for a while. Reaching the last couple weeks of my first semester of college. Meaning lotsa final studying and work .**


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